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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Mar 6.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Mar 6;14(3):306–321. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.02.002

Figure 4. A reactive stroma kills infiltrating cancer cells.

Figure 4

Astrocytes in the brain stroma react to infiltrating breast or lung cancer cells by expressing plasminogen activator (PA). PA generates plasmin that cleaves and mobilizes membrane-bound Fas ligand (FasL) from astrocytes. The cancer cells succumb to Fas-mediated apoptosis, but can avert this fate by expressing PA inhibitory serpins. Neuroserpin is normally expressed only in neurons, which use it for protection against astrocytes reacting to brain injury. [Image adapted from (Valiente et al., 2014)].