Unlocking Phenotypic Plasticity

During ontogeny, a variety of cell types arise that perform specific functions in tissues. As part of this process, cells had to undergo a process of terminal differentiation. This differentiation results, in most cases, in an antiproliferative stage, thereby creating a barrier to the persistent proliferation that is a hallmark of tumor cells. Accumulating data suggest that unlocking phenotypic plasticity represents one of the crucial steps in tumor pathogenesis. In the case of cancer, the process of unlocking phenotypic plasticity can occur in three basic ways, dedifferentiation, blockage of differentiation, and transdifferentiation (Hanahan 2022). Currently, there are no detailed data on the influence of the nervous system on the phenotypic plasticity of tumor cells. However, this influence can be approximated based on data regarding the modulatory effect of nerves on the phenotypic plasticity of nontumor tissues.