Annexin A1 affects tumor metastasis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition: a narrative review

Lulu Zheng; Lanxin Li; Baiqi Wang; Shanshan Zhang; Zhuqiong Fu; Ailan Cheng; Xiaoqiu Liang

doi:10.21037/tcr-22-1544

Annexin A1 affects tumor metastasis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition: a narrative review

Transl Cancer Res. 2022 Dec;11(12):4416-4433. doi: 10.21037/tcr-22-1544.

Authors

Lulu Zheng¹, Lanxin Li¹, Baiqi Wang², Shanshan Zhang¹, Zhuqiong Fu¹, Ailan Cheng¹, Xiaoqiu Liang¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Cancer Cellular and Molecular Pathology in Hunan Province, Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
² The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.

Abstract

Background and objective: Annexin A1 (annexin I, ANXA1), the first discovered member of the annexin superfamily, plays important roles in tumor development, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis and drug resistance based on tumor type-specific patterns of expression. The acquisition of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics is an essential mechanism of metastasis because they increase the mobility and invasiveness of cancer cells. Cancer invasion and metastasis remain major health problems worldwide. Elucidating the role and mechanism of ANXA1 in the occurrence of EMT will help advance the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Hence, this review aims to attract everyone's attention to the important role of ANXA1 in tumors and provide new ideas for clinical tumor treatment.

Methods: The PubMed database was mainly used to search for various English research papers and reviews related to the role of ANXA1 in tumors and EMT published from November 1994 to April 2022. The search terms used mainly include ANXA1, EMT, tumor, cancer, carcinoma, and mechanism.

Key content and findings: This article mainly provides a summary of the roles of ANXA1 and EMT in tumor metastasis as well as the various mechanisms via which ANXA1 facilitates the occurrence of EMT, thereby affecting tumor metastasis. In addition, the expression of ANXA1 in different metastatic tumor cell lines and its roles in tumorigenesis and development are also elaborated. This article has found many tumorous therapeutic targets related to ANXA1 and EMT, further confirming that ANXA1 has a huge potential for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of certain cancers.

Conclusions: Both the abnormal expression of ANXA1 and the occurrence of EMT are closely related to the invasion and metastasis of tumors, and more interestingly, ANXA1 can impact EMT directly or indirectly by mediating signaling pathways and adhesion among cells. We need more studies to elucidate the effects of ANXA1 on tumor invasion, migration and metastasis through EMT in vitro and in vivo clearly, and ultimately in patients to identify more therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Annexin A1; epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); molecular mechanism; tumor metastasis.

Publication types

Review