Therapeutic antibodies to human L1CAM: functional characterization and application in a mouse model for ovarian carcinoma.

Recent work has identified L1CAM (CD171) as a novel marker for human carcinoma progression. Functionally, L1CAM promotes tumor cell invasion and motility, augments tumor growth in nude mice, and facilitates experimental tumor metastasis. These functional features qualify L1 as an interesting target molecule for tumor therapy.

Nuclear translocation and signalling of L1-CAM in human carcinoma cells requires ADAM10 and presenilin/gamma-secretase activity.

L1-CAM (L1 cell-adhesion molecule), or more simply L1, plays an important role in the progression of human carcinoma. Overexpression promotes tumour-cell invasion and motility, growth in nude mice and tumour metastasis. It is feasible that L1-dependent signalling contributes to these effects.

Systemic presence and tumor-growth promoting effect of ovarian carcinoma released exosomes.

Exosomes are membrane vesicles that are released from many different cell types. Tumor derived-exosomes play a role in immune suppression. We hypothesized that in ovarian carcinoma patients exosomes initially produced at the local abdominal site may become systemic.