Anoikis
The term anoikis (Greek: ἀνοἰκις, “homeless”) describes a programmed cell death of human or animal cells that have lost contact with the cell matrix, similar to apoptosis . It was first used by researchers Frisch and Francis in a scientific article in the Journal of Cell Biology in 1994.
As a rule, cells are integrated in the tissue and rely on cell communication with their “neighbors”. In cell culture technology , the “homelessness” of the cells is sometimes even desired, as this would allow cells to be kept in the nutrient medium and consequently produce better space-time yields of biomass; in the worst case scenario, however, this can lead to metastatic cancer in the human body . The neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor (TrkB) is attributed to the fact that it exposes the anoikis. In the nervous system, it plays an important role in promoting differentiation and proliferation, together with the “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” ( brain-derived neurotrophic factor , BDNF). An overexpression of TrkB can lead to metastatic tumor cells. Inhibition of the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor could be an approach to tumor treatment.
Individual evidence
- ^ Lance A. Liotta & Elise Kohn: Anoikis: Cancer and the homeless cell , Nature 430, 973-974 (August 26, 2004) doi : 10.1038 / 430973a
- ↑ cells without homesickness