The context‐dependent impact of integrin‐associated cd151 and other tetraspanins on cancer development and progression: A class of versatile mediators of cellular function and signaling, tumorigenesis and metastasis

Sonia Erfani, Hui Hua, Yueyin Pan, Binhua P. Zhou, Xiuwei H. Yang

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

As a family of integral membrane proteins, tetraspanins have been functionally linked to a wide spectrum of human cancers, ranging from breast, colon, lung, ovarian, prostate, and skin carcinomas to glioblastoma. CD151 is one such prominent member of the tetraspanin family recently suggested to mediate tumor development, growth, and progression in oncogenic context-and cell lineage‐dependent manners. In the current review, we summarize recent advances in mechanistic understanding of the function and signaling of integrin‐associated CD151 and other tetraspanins in multiple cancer types. We also highlight emerging genetic and epigenetic evidence on the intrinsic links between tetraspanins, the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer stem cells (CSCs), and the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, as well as the dynamics of exosome and cellular metabolism. Finally, we discuss the implications of the highly plastic nature and epigenetic susceptibility of CD151 expression, function, and signaling for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic intervention for human cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2005
JournalCancers
Volume13
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: The study was supported in part by pilot project funding from National Institutes of Health COBRE grant #5P20GM121327‐03, as well as support from the University of Kentucky Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences (to X.Y.).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

  • Breast cancer
  • CD151
  • Cancer stem cells
  • Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)
  • Exosome
  • Integrins
  • Tetraspanins
  • Wnt pathway

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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