Roles of secreted frizzled-related proteins in cancer

Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2007 Sep;28(9):1499-504. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2007.00692.x.

Abstract

The Wnt signaling pathway is implicated in a variety of biological processes ranging from developmental cell fate to human disease. The components involved in Wnt signaling have been under intense investigation over the last 2 decades. Aberrant canonical Wnt activation has been linked to tumor formation and involves activation of effector molecules or loss of tumor suppressor function. Secreted frizzled-related proteins (sFRPs) are Wnt antagonists. In recent years, accumulating evidence has suggested that sFRPs act as tumor suppressors because their expression is frequently silenced in cancer by promoter hypermethylation. However, sFRPs may also promote cell growth in some contexts. Here, we focus on the known knowledge of sFRPs in tumorigenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / chemistry
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Glycoproteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Wnt Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Glycoproteins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • WD repeat containing planar cell polarity effector
  • Wnt Proteins