A2B Adenosine Receptor and Cancer

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 20; no. 20; p. 5139
• Main Authors: Gao, Zhan-Guo, Jacobson, Kenneth A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 17.10.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Adenosine; adenosine receptor; Angiogenesis; Antagonists; Bladder; Breast cancer; Cancer; cancer therapy; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; Clinical trials; Dendritic cells; G protein-coupled receptors; Hypoxia; immune system; Immunosurveillance; Kinases; Melanoma; Metastases; Metastasis; Physiology; Proteins; Review; tumor microenvironment; Tumors
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20205139

There are four subtypes of adenosine receptors (ARs), named A1, A2A, A2B and A3, all of which are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Locally produced adenosine is a suppressant in anti-tumor immune surveillance. The A2BAR, coupled to both Gαs and Gαi G proteins, is one of the several GPCRs that are expressed in a significantly higher level in certain cancer tissues, in comparison to adjacent normal tissues. There is growing evidence that the A2BAR plays an important role in tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune suppression. Thus, A2BAR antagonists are novel, potentially attractive anticancer agents. Several antagonists targeting A2BAR are currently in clinical trials for various types of cancers. In this review, we first describe the signaling, agonists, and antagonists of the A2BAR. We further discuss the role of the A2BAR in the progression of various cancers, and the rationale of using A2BAR antagonists in cancer therapy.