Commentary Cellscience Reviews Vol.3 No.1 ISSN 1742-8130

Preventing Metastasis: A LOX to Learn

Until recently, the established role of lysyl oxidase (LOX) was limited to that of an extracellular matrix cross-linking protein. However, a recent report (Erler et al., Nature, 440:1222), defines a central role for LOX in conferring metastatic properties upon cells within solid tumors. The myriad of clinical implications from this key discovery certainly merit focused discussion.

Introduction

Modern cancer research focuses upon those molecular interactions that may initiate or contribute to tumorigenesis and progression of the disease. Such studies promise to yield valuable information that might lead to the identification of novel drug targets, prognostic indicators, and an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer. While these biological paradigms undoubtedly advance our knowledge as to the initial and intermediate stages of cancer, it is the latter event, namely metastasis, which is associated with lethality. Thus it is often argued that preventing metastasis would not only improve the quality of life, but also significantly decrease mortality rates for those patients afflicted with tumor malignancies.

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