14-3-3 Proteins Are on the Crossroads of Cancer, Aging, and Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 20; no. 14; p. 3518
• Main Authors: Fan, Xiaolan, Cui, Lang, Zeng, Yao, Song, Wenhao, Gaur, Uma, Yang, Mingyao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.07.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: 14-3-3 Proteins - metabolism; Aging; Aging - metabolism; Animals; Binding sites; Breast cancer; Chronic illnesses; Disease; Gene expression; Heat shock proteins; Humans; Kinases; Leukemia; Medical prognosis; Metabolism; Metastasis; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neurodegenerative Diseases - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Prostate; Review; Signal transduction; Tumors; 14-3-3 proteins; neurodegenerative diseases; adaptor; chaperone-like; cancer; aging
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20143518

14-3-3 proteins are a family of conserved regulatory adaptor molecules which are expressed in all eukaryotic cells. These proteins participate in a variety of intracellular processes by recognizing specific phosphorylation motifs and interacting with hundreds of target proteins. Also, 14-3-3 proteins act as molecular chaperones, preventing the aggregation of unfolded proteins under conditions of cellular stress. Furthermore, 14-3-3 proteins have been shown to have similar expression patterns in tumors, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we put forward the idea that the adaptor activity and chaperone-like activity of 14-3-3 proteins might play a substantial role in the above-mentioned conditions. Interestingly, 14-3-3 proteins are considered to be standing at the crossroads of cancer, aging, and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. There are great possibilities to improve the above-mentioned diseases and conditions through intervention in the activity of the 14-3-3 protein family.