Collectively, our findings indicate that upregulation of CXCR7 expression is correlated with distant metastasis of OS, while knockdown of CXCR7 blocks the development of OS cells through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT and β-arrestin pathways, suggesting that CXCR7 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer.
In conclusion, expression of the CXCL12 scavenging receptor CXCR7 in the CXCR4-expressing human 143B osteosarcoma cell line enhances its metastatic activity in intratibial primary tumors in SCID mice that predominantly metastasize to the lung and thereby closely mimic the human disease.