Matricellular proteins: multifaceted extracellular regulators in tumor dormancy

<正>Tightly controlled extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis and remodeling is critical for normal organ homeostasis,wound healing and tissue repair.However,excessive or uncontrolled ECM deposition contributes to aberrant homeostasis of tissue microenvironment in various inflammatory diseases and tumors.Matricellular proteins are a set of structurally unrelated ECM proteins that do not exert a primary role in tissue architecture but have regulatory roles in embryonic development,tissue injury,inflammation and tumor progression.Two recent studies demonstrated that matricellular proteins in the ECM surrounding dormant tumor cells may determine the fate of tumor cells to remain quiescent or undergo metastatic outgrowth.The identification of matricellular proteins in regulating ECM homeostasis and remodeling specific organ niches during tumor dormancy may provide potential novel extracellular targets for the development of therapeutic interventions against tumor dormancy.