Thomas R. Cox, Sep 2014

My recent review has just been published in the American Journal of Physiology; Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. Titled ‘Lysyl oxidase in colorectal cancer’, we discuss the current body of literature on the role of the extracellular matrix remodelling enzyme Lysyl Oxidase in colorectal cancer initiation and progression.

Image: The multiple roles of LOX in regulating signaling networks in colorectal cancer, both directly and indirectly.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer worldwide and fourth-leading cause of cancer-related mortality, leading to 600,000 deaths annually, predominantly affecting the developed world. Lysyl oxidase is a secreted, extracellular matrix-modifying enzyme previously suggested to act as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer. However, emerging evidence has rapidly implicated lysyl oxidase in promoting metastasis of solid tumors and in particular colorectal cancer at multiple stages, affecting tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. This emerging research has stimulated significant interest in lysyl oxidase as a strong candidate for developing and deploying inhibitors as functional efficacious cancer therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the rapidly expanding body of knowledge concerning lysyl oxidase in solid tumor progression, highlighting recent advancements in the field of colorectal cancer.

Links

View article on American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology homepage
View abstract on PubMed

Citation

Cox TR and Erler JT. Lysyl oxidase in colorectal cancer
American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology; 305 (10) 659-666 (2014) | doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00425.2012