TFCP2/TFCP2L1/UBP1 transcription factors in cancer

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 420; pp. 72 - 79
• Main Authors: Kotarba, Grzegorz, Krzywinska, Ewa, Grabowska, Anna I., Taracha, Agnieszka, Wilanowski, Tomasz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 28.04.2018; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Angiogenesis; Breast cancer; Carcinogenesis; Cell cycle; Cell Proliferation; Cell self-renewal; Cervix; Chromosomes; Clear cell-type renal cell carcinoma; Cloning; Colorectal carcinoma; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drug target; Embryo cells; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genomics; Grainyhead; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Humans; Kidney cancer; Liver cancer; Melanoma; Mesenchyme; Metastasis; Neoplasms - blood supply; Neoplasms - metabolism; Oncogene; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic carcinoma; Pluripotency; Protein Binding; Proteins; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Stem cells; Systematic review; Thyroid cancer; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Tumor suppressor genes; Drug target; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Grainyhead; Oncogene; Stem cells
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.01.078

The TFCP2/Grainyhead family of transcription factors is divided into two distinct subfamilies, one of which includes the Grainyhead-like 1-3 (GRHL1-3) proteins and the other consists of TFCP2 (synonyms: CP2, LSF, LBP-1c), TFCP2L1 (synonyms: CRTR-1, LBP-9) and UBP1 (synonyms: LBP-1a, NF2d9). Transcription factors from the TFCP2/TFCP2L1/UBP1 subfamily are involved in various aspects of cancer development. TFCP2 is a pro-oncogenic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, may be important in cervical carcinogenesis and in colorectal cancer. TFCP2 can also act as a tumor suppressor, for example, it inhibits melanoma growth. Furthermore, TFCP2 is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enhances angiogenesis. TFCP2L1 maintains pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and was implicated in a wide variety of cancers, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer and thyroid cancer. Here we present a systematic review of current knowledge of this protein subfamily in the context of cancer. We also discuss potential challenges in investigating this family of transcription factors. These challenges include redundancies between these factors as well as their interactions with each other and their ability to modulate each other's activity. •TFCP2 acts as a pro-oncogenic factor in several different cancers.•It is involved in cell stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis.•Small molecule inhibitors of TFCP2 may potentially serve as anti-cancer medicines.•TFCP2L1 is also relevant to carcinogenesis.•There are redundancies and interactions between the TFCP2, TFCP2L1 and UBP1 factors.