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Review
. 2023 Feb 15;12(4):628.
doi: 10.3390/cells12040628.

Secretome of Stromal Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs): Relevance in Cancer

Deepshikha Mishra  1 , Debabrata Banerjee  1
Affiliations
Review

Secretome of Stromal Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs): Relevance in Cancer

Deepshikha Mishra et al. Cells. .

Abstract

The cancer secretome reflects the assortment of proteins released by cancer cells. Investigating cell secretomes not only provides a deeper knowledge of the healthy and transformed state but also helps in the discovery of novel biomarkers. Secretomes of cancer cells have been studied in the past, however, the secretome contribution of stromal cells needs to be studied. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the predominantly present cell populations in the tumor microenvironment (TME). CAFs play key role in functions associated with matrix deposition and remodeling, reciprocal exchange of nutrients, and molecular interactions and signaling with neighboring cells in the TME. Investigating CAFs secretomes or CAFs-secreted factors would help in identifying novel CAF-specific biomarkers, unique druggable targets, and an improved understanding for personalized cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we have tried to include all studies available in PubMed with the keywords "CAFs Secretome". We aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the studies investigating role of the CAF secretome on cancer development, progression, and therapeutic outcome. However, challenges associated with this process have also been addressed in the later sections. We have highlighted the functions and clinical relevance of secretome analysis in stromal CAF-rich cancer types. This review specifically discusses the secretome of stromal CAFs in cancers. A deeper understanding of the components of the CAF secretome and their interactions with cancer cells will help in the identification of personalized biomarkers and a more precise treatment plan.

Keywords: cancer; cancer associated fibroblasts; secretome; stroma; tumor conditioned medium; tumor microenvironment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Secretome: Advantages and limitations; (A) shows different diseases exploring the clinical relevance of secretome-based therapy; (B) addresses the advantages and limitation associated with the use of CAFs (cell specific) secretomes in cancer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Features of CAFs secretome; (A) displays the process of fibroblast activation; (B) explains the diverse tumor-promoting features of the CAFs secretome.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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