Christophe Lamaze
Stéphane Gasman
Ewan MacDonald- 1Institut Curie - Centre de Recherche, PSL Research University, Membrane Mechanics and Dynamics of Intracellular Signalling Laboratory, Paris, France
- 2Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1339, Paris, France
- 3Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR3666, Paris, France
- 4Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
- 5Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier CNRS UMR 9004, Montpellier, France
1 Introduction
Membrane trafficking refers to the regulated transport of biomolecules between distinct cellular compartments within membrane-enclosed structures. This fundamental process not only ensures essential cellular functions, such as nutrient uptake and secretion of signalling factors like hormones, but also regulates signalling through the compartmentalization of receptors and effectors. Broadly, membrane trafficking can be divided into endocytic events, which internalize material from the extracellular space, and exocytic events, which deliver vesicles toward the cell surface (Yarwood et al., 2020).
Interest in understanding the organization of membrane trafficking pathways dates back to the mid-20th century (Palade, 1975). For their pioneering work elucidating the architecture and organisation of this system, George Palade, Christian de Duve, and Albert Claude were awarded the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The field gained renewed recognition in 2013, when James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas Südhof were honoured with the Nobel Prize for their discoveries of the machinery regulating vesicular trafficking. Through elegant biochemical and genetic studies, they uncovered the fundamental principles that define this now mature field (Novick and Schekman, 1979; Fries and Rothman, 1980; Novick et al., 1980). Yet, membrane trafficking continues to yield new surprises. Its ever growing molecular complexity and regulatory networks attest to this.
Given its central role in cellular homeostasis, it is not surprising that mutations or dysregulations in trafficking components underlie a wide range of diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and haemophilia (Yarwood et al., 2020). In the context of cancer, membrane trafficking is often subverted to enhance cellular fitness and adaptability (Sigismund and Scita, 2018). This Research Topic in Frontiers in Developmental Cell Biology highlights ongoing efforts to elucidate the complex and evolving roles of membrane trafficking in cancer.
Although dysregulated membrane trafficking is not yet considered one of the canonical hallmarks of cancer (Hanahan, 2022), growing evidence indicates that the trafficking system is extensively reprogrammed to facilitate disease progression. Broadly, this can be categorized into three major themes.
2 Metabolic reprogramming via endocytic pathways
Enhance endocytic activity helps cancer cells meet their elevated metabolic demands. Internalized material is processed within lysosomes, where it is degraded and recycled into the building blocks of proteins, lipids, and metabolites required for growth (Commisso et al., 2013). Lysosomes have thus emerged as central organelles in metabolic regulation (Settembre and Perera, 2024). A parallel phenomenon is observed in tumour-infiltrating macrophages, which engulf apoptotic cells and debris. In this Research Topic, Yan et al. discuss how this influx of material drives macrophage metabolic reprogramming, reshaping immune responses and influencing the tumour microenvironment.
3 Dysregulated secretion and vesicular communication
Increased secretion of hormones, cytokines, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) promotes metastatic progression by remodelling the pre-metastatic niche and modulating intercellular signalling, including immune interactions (Madden et al., 2020; Kalluri and McAndrews, 2023).
In this Research Topic, three contributions explore this dimension. Hu et al. describe a novel form of vesicular communication mediated by cytonemes, specialized filopodial protrusions that establish direct contacts with neighbouring cells, enabling long-distance transfer of bioactive molecules. Kailasam Mani et al. review the formation and function of tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) and their roles in intercellular communication. In particular, they highlight their recent findings that physical stress can induce EV formation in a caveolin-1-dependent manner (Saquel et al., 2024). Finally, Streit et al. examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of the regulated secretory pathway in neuroendocrine tumours, which contributes to clinical complications.
4 Altered surface composition and signalling dynamics
A third major theme centres on how dysfunctional membrane trafficking reshapes the plasma membrane landscape, altering lipids and receptor composition to promote cancer progression (MacDonald et al., 2025). Guo et al. report that the ESCRT subunit CHMP7, a regulator of lysosomal degradation, has predictive value for patient prognosis and may play a role in anti-tumour immunity. Patat et al. propose that a deeper understanding of the higher-order organization and collective behaviour of trafficking regulators at the organelle level will be essential to grasp how trafficking plasticity supports tumour adaptability.
Through this Research Topic, we aim to highlight some emerging insights into how membrane trafficking contributes to cancer development and progression. A more comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms will be key to identifying new therapeutic vulnerabilities and developing strategies to overcome drug resistance.
Author contributions
CL: Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft. SG: Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. EM: Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft.
Funding
The authors declare that no financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article.
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The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.
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Keywords: endocytosis, exocytosis, extracelluar vesicles, membrane trafficking, cancer
Citation: Lamaze C, Gasman S and MacDonald E (2025) Editorial: Reviews and advances in the membrane trafficking of cancer. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. 13:1734267. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1734267
Received: 28 October 2025; Accepted: 04 November 2025;
Published: 14 November 2025.
Edited and reviewed by:
Vladimir Lupashin, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, United StatesCopyright © 2025 Lamaze, Gasman and MacDonald. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Ewan MacDonald, ZXdhbi5tYWNkb25hbGQyQGlyaW0uY25ycy5mcg==
Editorial on the Research Topic Reviews and advances in the membrane trafficking of cancer