The Role of Contactin 1 in Cancers: What We Know So Far

Yumei Liang; Cui Ma; Fengjuan Li; Guanhua Nie; Haining Zhang

doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.574208

The Role of Contactin 1 in Cancers: What We Know So Far

Front Oncol. 2020 Oct 29:10:574208. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.574208. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yumei Liang¹, Cui Ma², Fengjuan Li³, Guanhua Nie¹, Haining Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
² Department of Pediatric Hematology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
³ Oncology Department of Tumor Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

Cancers are among the difficult-to-treat diseases despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Although newer effective targets remain to be discovered, targeted therapy has emerged as a promising field. In the last decade, contactin 1 (CNTN1) has surfaced as an important cancer-related molecule. CNTN1 is a neuronal membrane glycoprotein, which, if overexpressed, is found in different cancer cell lines, cancer tissues, and transgenic mice. It is positively associated with lymphatic invasion, metastasis, late TNM stage, and a short overall survival time. However, the role of CNTN1 in cancer cell proliferation remains unclear. In addition, CNTN1 is involved in cancer cell invasion, migration, metastasis, and chemoresistance by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and mediating several signal transduction pathways. Several studies suggest CNTN1 as a new therapeutic target for cancers. This review aims to summarize the research developments on CNTN1 in various cancers, to establish its role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and signal transduction pathways, and to identify promising areas for further investigation.

Keywords: PI3K/AKT; cancers; contactin 1 (CNTN1); epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); signal transduction pathways; targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review