HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

Review

The role of proteoglycans in the reactive stroma on tumor growth and progression

Yvette May Coulson-Thomas1, Tarsis Gesteira Ferreira1,2, Andrew Lawrence Norton3, Winston W-Y Kao2, Helena Bonciani Nader1 and Vivien Jane Coulson-Thomas1,2,*

1Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA and 3Durham University, Durham, UK
*Current address: John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Univesity of Cambridge, Forvie Site. Robinson Way, Cambridge, UK

Offprint requests to: Vivien Jane Coulson-Thomas, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK. e-mail: vcoulsonthomas@gmail.com or vc315@cam.ac.uk; and Yvette May Coulson-Thomas, Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, São Paulo, 04044-020, Brazil. e-mail: ycoulsonthomas@ gmail.com


Summary. The stroma surrounding tumors can either restrict or promote tumor growth and progression, and both the cellular and non-cellular components of the stroma play an active role. The cellular components in the surrounding stroma include tumor-associated fibroblasts, host tissue cells and immune cells. The non-cellular components, which form the extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold, include proteoglycans, collagen, proteinases, growth factors and cytokines. For tumorigenesis to occur it is necessary for tumor cells to modify the surrounding stroma. Tumor cells have mechanisms for achieving this, such as co-opting fibroblasts and modifying the ECM they produce, degrading the surrounding ECM and/or synthesizing a favorable ECM to support invasion. Proteoglycans are an important component of the ECM and play an active role in tumor growth and progression. The expression and glycosylation patterns of proteoglycans are altered in the stroma surrounding tumors and these molecules may support or restrict tumor growth and progression depending on the type and stage of tumor. In the present review we discuss the difference between the tumor promoting and restricting stromal reactions surrounding tumors and the role proteoglycans play. Histol Histopathol 30, 33-41 (2015)

Key words: Proteoglycans, Small leucine-rich proteoglycans, Tumor stroma, Tumor progression, Desmoplasia, Shedding

DOI: 10.14670/HH-30.33