Context-Dependent Roles of Claudins in Tumorigenesis

The barrier and fence functions of the claudin protein family are fundamental to tissue integrity and human health. Increasing evidence has linked claudins to signal transduction and tumorigenesis. The expression of claudins is frequently dysregulated in the context of neoplastic transformation. Stu...

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Published inFrontiers in oncology Vol. 11; p. 676781
Main Author Li, Jian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 20.07.2021
Subjects
cancer
claudin
metastasis
Oncology
tight junction
tumor heterogeneity
tumorigenesis
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Summary:The barrier and fence functions of the claudin protein family are fundamental to tissue integrity and human health. Increasing evidence has linked claudins to signal transduction and tumorigenesis. The expression of claudins is frequently dysregulated in the context of neoplastic transformation. Studies have uncovered that claudins engage in nearly all aspects of tumor biology and steps of tumor development, suggesting their promise as targets for treatment or biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. However, claudins can be either tumor promoters or tumor suppressors depending on the context, which emphasizes the importance of taking various factors, including organ type, environmental context and genetic confounders, into account when studying the biological functions and targeting of claudins in cancer. This review discusses the complicated roles and intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of the context-specific effects of claudins in cancer.
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Reviewed by: Daisuke Kyuno, Sapporo Medical University, Japan; Tracey Martin, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Edited by: Panagiota S. Filippou, Teesside University, United Kingdom
This article was submitted to Molecular and Cellular Oncology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oncology
ISSN:2234-943X
2234-943X
DOI:10.3389/fonc.2021.676781