Abstract
Membrane contact sites (MCS) are typically defined as areas of proximity between heterologous or homologous membranes characterized by specific proteins. The study of MCS is considered as an emergent field that shows how crucial organelle interactions are in cell physiology. MCS regulate a myriad of physiological processes such as apoptosis, calcium, and lipid signaling, just to name a few. The membranal interactions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondria, the ER–plasma membrane, and the vesicular traffic have received special attention in recent years, particularly in cancer research, in which it has been proposed that MCS regulate tumor metabolism and fate, contributing to their progression. However, as the therapeutic or diagnostic potential of MCS has not been fully revisited, in this review, we provide recent information on MCS relevance on calcium and lipid signaling in cancer cells and on its role in tumor progression. We also describe some proteins associated with MCS, like CERT, STIM1, VDAC, and Orai, that impact on cancer progression and that could be a possible diagnostic marker. Overall, these information might contribute to the understanding of the complex biology of cancer cells.
Highlights
Cancer is a serious public health problem worldwide (Henley et al, 2020a); the most common types among women are lung, breast, and colorectal tumor, whereas lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer prevails in men
These results suggest that direct intervention on Nir1 could serve as a potential target in cancer progression, and the study of Nir2 may be useful to understand some LTPmediated mechanisms that regulate key cellular processes and contribute to cancer metastasis
The increased interest in the study of contact sites in different physiopathological conditions suggests that they could be placed as novel targets in cancer studies
Summary
The membranal interactions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondria, the ER–plasma membrane, and the vesicular traffic have received special attention in recent years, in cancer research, in which it has been proposed that MCS regulate tumor metabolism and fate, contributing to their progression. As the therapeutic or diagnostic potential of MCS has not been fully revisited, in this review, we provide recent information on MCS relevance on calcium and lipid signaling in cancer cells and on its role in tumor progression. We describe some proteins associated with MCS, like CERT, STIM1, VDAC, and Orai, that impact on cancer progression and that could be a possible diagnostic marker. Overall, these information might contribute to the understanding of the complex biology of cancer cells
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