Fig. 1.

Role of RUNX3 in the tumor microenvironment and its impact on EMT, tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. A growing tumor lacks oxygen (O₂) and becomes hypoxic. The hypoxic tumor modulates the tumor microenvironment for its further progression to malignancy. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-secreted cytokines facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion, increased tumor-infiltrating immune cells suppress immunosurveillance and increase angiogenesis, tumor-modified cancer associated fibroblast (CAF) produce chemokines that attract other tumor-growth-favoring cells into tumor. RUNX3 can repress these phenomena by targeting tumor infiltrating cells, ECM and their secretions.