Rho, ROCK and actomyosin contractility in metastasis as drug targets [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

• Main Authors: Irene Rodriguez-Hernandez, Gaia Cantelli, Fanshawe Bruce, Victoria Sanz-Moreno
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2016-04-01
• Series: F1000Research
• Subjects: Cancer Therapeutics; Cell Adhesion; Cell Growth & Division; Cell Signaling; Cytoskeleton; Drug Discovery & Design; Membranes & Sorting
• Online Access: http://f1000research.com/articles/5-783/v1
• ISSN: 2046-1402

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells around the body and the cause of the majority of cancer deaths. Metastasis is a very complex process in which cancer cells need to dramatically modify their cytoskeleton and cope with different environments to successfully colonize a secondary organ. In this review, we discuss recent findings pointing at Rho-ROCK or actomyosin force (or both) as major drivers of many of the steps required for metastatic success. We propose that these are important drug targets that need to be considered in the clinic to palliate metastatic disease.