Cancer is driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations that cause the abnormal signal transduction controlling their survival and migration. These alterations promote tumor progression by inducing physiological changes in cancer cells or surrounding (limitless replicative potential, tissue invasion and metastasis, sustained angiogenesis, evasion of programmed cell death) through controlling oncogene/tumor suppressor gene expression. Signal network in cancer is very complicated, and it is activated or inhibited by multiple stimuli.

In recent years, to figure out cancer, the importance of understanding the interaction between cancer cells and non-cancerous cells present in the tumor microenvironment has been highlighted as well as cancer cell signaling. Therefore, identification of the factors affecting communication in the tumor microenvironment and the study of the signal transduction pathways in cancer cells are necessary to enhance understanding of cancer and improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment.

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In our lab, current projects are, 1) phospholipase C (PLC) – mediated signaling and cancer, 2) G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signaling and cancer, and 3) Communication between neurons and cancer cells.

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PLC is an enzyme that breaks down phospholipid to produce second messengers. It participates in various cell reactions such as cell differentiation, growth, and immune response. Among several isozymes of PLC, PLCγ is expressed in malignant tumor tissue and it is expected to play an important role in process of proliferation. Thus, the role of PLC in cancer and the signal mechanism are being investigated at the animal level using conditional knock-out mice as well as at the cellular level.

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GPCRs are receptors that deliver a variety of extracellular information into cells. Since the ligand is very diverse and the expression of GPCR is a tissue-specific manner, it can controls many other physiological phenomena. Therfore, GPCR is in the spotlight as a drug target for a specific disease. In fact, various GPCRs are overexpressed in cancer cells, and they are supposed to detect changes in tumor microenvironment.

However, their functions and mechanisms are still unclear, we try to identify them.

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Cancer tissues is composed of not only cancer cells, but also various cells such as nerve cells, immune cells, and adipocytes. Among them, we focus on the correlation between neurons and cancer cells. Based on the results of research that psychological stress has an adverse effect on cancer, we are investigating specific genes in cancer cells controlled by stress and analyzing their mechanism and function.