Relaxin‐like peptides in cancer
- 24 September 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in International Journal of Cancer
- Vol. 107 (4), 513-519
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.11424
Abstract
The members of the relaxin‐like hormone family, relaxin and INSL3, also known as relaxin‐like factor (RLF) or Leydig cell‐derived insulin‐like factor (LEY‐I‐L), are implicated in various mechanisms associated with tumor cell growth, differentiation, invasion and neovascularization. The recent discovery of the relaxin receptor LGR7 and the INSL3/relaxin receptor LGR8 has provided evidence of an auto/paracrine relaxin‐like action in tumor tissues and enables the elucidation of the cellular pathways involved in the proposed functions of relaxin in tumor biology. Our review summarizes our current knowledge of the expression of relaxin and INSL3 in human neoplastic tissues and discusses the etiological roles of these heterodimeric peptide hormones in cancer. Discussion of possible cellular cascades involved in actions linking relaxin‐like peptides and neoplasia include the role of relaxin‐like peptides in tumor cell growth and differentiation; the effect of relaxin in stimulating the synthesis of the vasodilatory and tumor cell cytostatic and antiapoptotic molecule, nitric oxide; the potential ability of relaxin to upregulate vascular endothelial growth factor to promote angiogenesis and neovascularization and the concerted fine‐tuned action of relaxin on the matrix metalloproteinases on the extracellular matrix to facilitate tumor cell attachment, migration and invasion.Keywords
This publication has 95 references indexed in Scilit:
- Evidence That Relaxin Inhibits Apoptosis in the Cervix and the Vagina during the Second Half of Pregnancy in the RatEndocrinology, 2001
- Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity Diminishes the Acute Effects of Relaxin on Growth, But Not Softening, of the Cervix in the RatEndocrinology, 2000
- The Hallmarks of CancerCell, 2000
- Down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in human colon carcinoma cell lines by antisense transfection decreases endothelial cell proliferationSurgery, 1996
- Patterns and Emerging Mechanisms of the Angiogenic Switch during TumorigenesisCell, 1996
- Non-peptide Angiotensin Agonist: FUNCTIONAL AND MOLECULAR INTERACTION WITH THE AT1 RECEPTORPublished by Elsevier BV ,1995
- Transient Increase in the Risk of Breast Cancer after Giving BirthNew England Journal of Medicine, 1994
- Potent Transforming Activity of the G13 α Subunit Defines a Novel Family of OncogenesBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1994
- Cyclic AMP response to recombinant human relaxin by cultured human endometrial cells—A specific and high throughput in vitro bioassayBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1990
- Induction of angiogenesis during the transition from hyperplasia to neoplasiaNature, 1989