From biomineralization to tumorogenesis-the expanding insight of the physiological and pathological roles of Fam20C

Abstract

Fam20C is a Golgi kinase phosphorylating the majority of the secreted proteins. In this decade, the function of Fam20C has been largely disclosed in the loss-of function models. How the influence of the overexpressed Fam20C on cells or organs, and whether Fam20C was associated with tumorogensis still remain unknown. In the latest article in Bioscience Reports, a group from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University established a correlation between the elevated Fam20C expression and the poor prognosis of multiple cancers (Biosci. Rep. (2021), 41(1) BSR20201920). In addition, they also proposed the potential mechanisms how the increased Fam20C expression played a detrimental role in tumor progression by suggesting that the up-regulated Fam20C level affected the infiltration of immune cells and the capability of cancer metastasis. To give an overview of the expanding knowledge of Fam20C involved in the physiological and pathological events, we first reviewed the history of Fam20C study in this commentary, then, evaluated the correlation of the elevated Fam20C expression to the prognosis of multiple cancers, and finally, interpreted the perspectives that the Fam20C gain-of-function model was also critical for cancer therapy.

Keywords: Fam20C; cancer prognosis; microenvironment; phosphoproteome; phosphorylation; tumorogenesis.

Figure 1. Perspective of the Fam20C loss- and gain-of-function studies

(A) Phosphorylation of the secreted proteins by the normal expression of Fam20C. (B) In the absence of Fam20C, the lack of phosphorylation of the secreted proteins would alter the molecular configuration, enzyme activity and half-time. (C) The elevated Fam20C expression might result in the over-phosphorylation of the secreted proteins, which could change the microenvironment; whether the overexpressed Fam20C might be leaked into the extracellular space and phosphorylate the proteins in the extracellular space is still in debated.