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Clusterin in disease pathology
Research Guide
What is Clusterin in disease pathology?
Clusterin in disease pathology refers to the involvement of Clusterin, a chaperone protein, in pathological processes such as cancer development, progression, metastasis, apoptosis inhibition, chemoresistance, and its role as a biomarker in diseases including prostate cancer.
Clusterin acts as a chaperone protein implicated in cancer through mechanisms like apoptosis inhibition, modulation of TGF-β signaling, promotion of angiogenesis, and contribution to chemoresistance. The field encompasses 7,951 works examining Clusterin's functions in tumor progression and metastasis, particularly in prostate cancer. Growth data over the past 5 years is not available.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Clusterin in Prostate Cancer Progression
This sub-topic examines Clusterin's role as a chaperone in promoting prostate cancer cell survival, metastasis, and resistance to androgen deprivation therapy. Researchers investigate its molecular mechanisms and potential as a therapeutic target.
Clusterin-Mediated Apoptosis Inhibition
Researchers study how Clusterin inhibits apoptosis pathways in cancer cells, including interactions with Bax and stress-induced signaling. The focus is on its cytoprotective functions during chemotherapy and radiation.
Clusterin in TGF-β Signaling Modulation
This area explores Clusterin's regulatory effects on TGF-β pathways, influencing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor microenvironment dynamics. Studies link it to fibrosis and cancer progression.
Clusterin as Cancer Biomarker
Clusterin as a biomarker involves assessing its serum and tissue levels for prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring in cancers like breast and prostate. Researchers validate its utility in clinical trials and imaging.
Clusterin and Chemoresistance Mechanisms
This sub-topic investigates Clusterin's contributions to multidrug resistance via chaperone activity and DNA repair modulation. Clinical studies test Clusterin inhibitors to enhance chemotherapy efficacy.
Why It Matters
Clusterin influences cancer pathology by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting chemoresistance, affecting treatment outcomes in cancers like prostate cancer. It modulates TGF-β signaling and angiogenesis, contributing to metastasis as explored in papers such as "The two faces of transforming growth factor β in carcinogenesis" (Roberts and Wakefield, 2003), which details TGF-β's dual role in tumor suppression and promotion. As a potential biomarker, Clusterin detection could guide prognosis and therapy in oncology, with implications for diseases involving cellular stress responses like those in "Neurofibrillary tangles but not senile plaques parallel duration and severity of Alzheimer's disease" (Arriagada et al., 1992), linking chaperone-like activities to pathology severity.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"The two faces of transforming growth factor β in carcinogenesis" (Roberts and Wakefield, 2003) because it provides foundational insight into TGF-β duality, central to Clusterin's modulation in cancer pathology.
Key Papers Explained
"Neurofibrillary tangles but not senile plaques parallel duration and severity of Alzheimer's disease" (Arriagada et al., 1992) links tangle accumulation to disease severity, paralleling Clusterin's chaperone role in pathology; "The two faces of transforming growth factor β in carcinogenesis" (Roberts and Wakefield, 2003) builds by detailing TGF-β's dual effects relevant to Clusterin signaling; "Apoptosis mediates the decrease in cellularity during the transition between granulation tissue and scar" (Desmoulière et al., 1995) connects to Clusterin's apoptosis inhibition in disease contexts.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research focuses on Clusterin's chaperone functions in cancer stress responses, with ongoing exploration of its biomarker potential in prostate cancer metastasis and chemoresistance, though no recent preprints or news are available.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neurofibrillary tangles but not senile plaques parallel durati... | 1992 | Neurology | 2.7K | ✕ |
| 2 | Atherogenesis: a postprandial phenomenon. | 1979 | Circulation | 1.7K | ✓ |
| 3 | Drotrecogin Alfa (Activated) in Adults with Septic Shock | 2012 | New England Journal of... | 1.3K | ✓ |
| 4 | Protein adsorption is required for stealth effect of poly(ethy... | 2016 | Nature Nanotechnology | 1.2K | ✕ |
| 5 | Apoptosis mediates the decrease in cellularity during the tran... | 1995 | PubMed | 1.2K | ✕ |
| 6 | Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan | 2018 | EBioMedicine | 907 | ✓ |
| 7 | Hypoadiponectinemia in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: Close Asso... | 2001 | The Journal of Clinica... | 853 | ✕ |
| 8 | The physiological structure of human C-reactive protein and it... | 1999 | Structure | 817 | ✓ |
| 9 | Observations on growth rates of human tumors. | 1956 | PubMed | 771 | ✕ |
| 10 | The two faces of transforming growth factor β in carcinogenesis | 2003 | Proceedings of the Nat... | 745 | ✓ |
Latest Developments
Recent research indicates that clusterin plays a significant role in disease pathology, particularly in Alzheimer's disease where it acts as an amyloidogenic inhibitor and molecular chaperone involved in amyloid fibril formation (ScienceDirect), and increasing levels of the CLU protein may promote brain resilience and offer protection against Alzheimer's (Mass General Brigham, [2025]). Additionally, structural analyses are elucidating the molecular basis of clusterin's chaperone function (Nature, 2025), and its involvement in other diseases like diabetic atherosclerosis is under investigation, suggesting a protective role (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2025).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of Clusterin in cancer?
Clusterin functions as a chaperone protein that inhibits apoptosis, modulates TGF-β signaling, promotes angiogenesis, and contributes to chemoresistance in cancer. It is particularly involved in metastasis in prostate cancer. These roles position Clusterin as a potential biomarker for various cancers.
How does Clusterin contribute to chemoresistance?
Clusterin promotes chemoresistance by protecting cancer cells from drug-induced apoptosis. As a chaperone, it stabilizes proteins under stress from chemotherapy. This mechanism is central to therapy resistance in cancers studied within the 7,951 works on the topic.
What is Clusterin's involvement in TGF-β signaling?
Clusterin modulates TGF-β signaling, which has dual effects in carcinogenesis as suppressor early and promoter later. "The two faces of transforming growth factor β in carcinogenesis" (Roberts and Wakefield, 2003) describes this duality. Clusterin's interaction influences tumor progression and metastasis.
Why is Clusterin a biomarker in prostate cancer?
Clusterin serves as a biomarker due to its elevated levels correlating with metastasis in prostate cancer. It reflects disease progression through roles in apoptosis inhibition and angiogenesis. Detection aids in prognosis within oncology research.
How many papers address Clusterin in disease pathology?
There are 7,951 works on Clusterin in disease pathology. These cover its roles in cancer development, progression, and therapy resistance. Growth rate over 5 years is not specified.
Open Research Questions
- ? How does Clusterin specifically interact with TGF-β pathways to switch from tumor suppression to promotion in different cancer stages?
- ? What molecular mechanisms underlie Clusterin's role in conferring chemoresistance across various cancer types?
- ? Can Clusterin expression levels accurately predict metastasis risk in prostate cancer patients?
- ? How does Clusterin modulate angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment?
- ? What are the precise chaperone functions of Clusterin in inhibiting apoptosis during cancer progression?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 7,951 works on Clusterin in disease pathology, with no specified 5-year growth rate.
No recent preprints from the last 6 months or news coverage in the past 12 months indicate steady but not rapidly expanding activity.
Keywords like prostate cancer and chemoresistance persist as focal points.
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