The majority of cancer-associated deaths are related to secondary tumor formation. This multistep process involves the migration of cancer cells to anatomically distant organs. Metastasis formation relies on cancer cell dissemination and survival in the circulatory system, as well as adaptation to the new tissue notably through genetic and/or epigenetic alterations. A large number of proteins are clearly identified to play a role in the metastatic process but the structures and modes of action of these proteins are essentially unknown or poorly described. In this review, we detail the involvement of members of the transmembrane (TMEM) protein family in the formation of metastases or in the mechanisms leading to cancer cell dissemination such as migration and extra-cellular matrix remodelling. While the phenotype associated with TMEM over or down-expression is clear, the mechanisms by which these proteins allow cancer cell spreading remain, for most of them, unclear. In parallel, the 3D structures of these proteins are presented. Moreover, we proposed that TMEM proteins could be used as prognostic markers in different types of cancers and could represent potential targets for cancer treatment. A better understanding of this heterogeneous family of poorly characterized proteins thus opens perspectives for better cancer patient care.

大多数与癌症相关的死亡与继发性肿瘤形成有关。这个多步骤过程涉及癌细胞向解剖学上遥远的器官的迁移。转移的形成依赖于癌细胞在循环系统中的扩散和存活，以及依靠遗传和/或表观遗传学改变对新组织的适应性。已经清楚地鉴定出大量蛋白质在转移过程中起作用，但是这些蛋白质的结构和作用方式本质上是未知的或描述不清。在这篇综述中，我们详细介绍了跨膜（TMEM）蛋白家族成员参与转移的形成或导致癌细胞扩散（例如迁移和细胞外基质重塑）的机制。尽管与TMEM过表达或下表达相关的表型是明确的，但对于大多数蛋白质而言，这些蛋白质允许癌细胞扩散的机制仍然不清楚。平行地，呈现了这些蛋白质的3D结构。此外，我们提出TMEM蛋白可用作不同类型癌症的预后标志物，并可能代表癌症治疗的潜在靶标。因此，对这种特性不佳的蛋白质的异质家族的更好理解为更好的癌症患者护理开辟了前景。我们提出，TMEM蛋白可用作不同类型癌症的预后标志物，并可能代表癌症治疗的潜在靶标。因此，对这种特性差的蛋白质的异质家族的更好理解为更好的癌症患者护理开辟了前景。我们提出，TMEM蛋白可用作不同类型癌症的预后标志物，并可能代表癌症治疗的潜在靶标。因此，对这种特性不佳的蛋白质的异质家族的更好理解为更好的癌症患者护理开辟了前景。