Metastasis is the worst prognosis predictor in the clinical course of cancer development. Features of metastatic cancer cells include migratory ability, low degree of differentiation, self-renewal and proliferation potentials, as well as resistance to therapies. Metastatic cells do not present all of the necessary characteristics at once. Indeed, they have a unique phenotypic plasticity, allowing the acquisition of features that make them successful in all steps of metastasis. Cancer stem cells (CSC), the most undifferentiated cells in the tumor mass, display highest metastatic potential and resistance to radio- and chemotherapy. Growing tumors exhibit marked upregulation of P2X7 receptor expression and secrete ATP. Since the P2X7 receptor plays an important role in the maintenance of undifferentiated state of pluripotent cells, its importance on cell fate regulation in the tumor mass is suggested. Considering the extensive crosstalk between CSCs, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, drug resistance and metastasis, current knowledge implicating P2X7 receptor function in these phenomena and new avenues for therapeutic strategies to control metastasis are reviewed.

中文翻译：

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P2X7受体在维持癌症干细胞，化学抗性和转移中的作用。

在癌症发展的临床过程中，转移是最差的预后指标。转移性癌细胞的特征包括迁移能力，低分化程度，自我更新和增殖潜能以及对疗法的抵抗力。转移细胞不能一次呈现所有必要的特征。确实，它们具有独特的表型可塑性，允许获得使它们在转移的所有步骤均成功的特征。癌症干细胞（CSC）是肿瘤块中未分化最多的细胞，显示出最高的转移潜力以及对放射和化学疗法的抵抗力。生长中的肿瘤表现出P2X7受体表达的明显上调并分泌ATP。由于P2X7受体在维持多能细胞的未分化状态中起着重要作用，提示其在肿瘤块中对细胞命运调控的重要性。考虑到CSC之间广泛的相互影响，上皮-间质转化，耐药性和转移，回顾了在这些现象中牵涉P2X7受体功能的现有知识以及控制转移的治疗策略的新途径。