Abstract
The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) family proteins are transcription factors that regulate the expression of a variety of target genes with or without forming complexes with other transcription factors. Although NFAT proteins have been extensively investigated and characterized in immune systems, their role in carcinogenesis are far from being understood. We, to our knowledge, are first to determine the potential involvement of the NFAT pathway in cell responses to carcinogen exposure. Experimental evidence accumulated from our studies indicate the critical role of NFAT3 in some carcinogen-induced cell transformation and tumorigenicity. Moreover, NFAT proteins have been found to be involved in cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, cell survival, angiogenesis, and tumor cell invasion and metastasis. In the meantime, NFAT inhibitors are being developed with the ultimate aim to specifically switch off NFAT signaling without side effects. This review comprehensively reviews the results from the most recent studies, and also discusses some difficulties in current studies. To validate whether NFAT can be a promising target for chemoprevention, more research has to be done to further detail the roles of NFAT and to differentiate the functions of different members of this protein family in future studies.
Keywords: NFAT, Gene expression, Signaling pathway, calcineurin, cancer, chemoprevention
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: Transcription Factor NFAT, Its Role in Cancer Development, and as a Potential Target for Chemoprevention
Volume: 7 Issue: 4
Author(s): Haitian Lu and Chuanshu Huang
Affiliation:
Keywords: NFAT, Gene expression, Signaling pathway, calcineurin, cancer, chemoprevention
Abstract: The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) family proteins are transcription factors that regulate the expression of a variety of target genes with or without forming complexes with other transcription factors. Although NFAT proteins have been extensively investigated and characterized in immune systems, their role in carcinogenesis are far from being understood. We, to our knowledge, are first to determine the potential involvement of the NFAT pathway in cell responses to carcinogen exposure. Experimental evidence accumulated from our studies indicate the critical role of NFAT3 in some carcinogen-induced cell transformation and tumorigenicity. Moreover, NFAT proteins have been found to be involved in cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, cell survival, angiogenesis, and tumor cell invasion and metastasis. In the meantime, NFAT inhibitors are being developed with the ultimate aim to specifically switch off NFAT signaling without side effects. This review comprehensively reviews the results from the most recent studies, and also discusses some difficulties in current studies. To validate whether NFAT can be a promising target for chemoprevention, more research has to be done to further detail the roles of NFAT and to differentiate the functions of different members of this protein family in future studies.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Lu Haitian and Huang Chuanshu, Transcription Factor NFAT, Its Role in Cancer Development, and as a Potential Target for Chemoprevention, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2007; 7 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800907780809750
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800907780809750 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Cetuximab, A Chimeric Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Monoclonal Antibody, in Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Two Handy Geometric Prediction Methods of Cancer Growth
Current Medical Imaging Safety and Complications Reporting Update on the Re-Implantation of Culture-Expanded Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Autologous Platelet Lysate Technique
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Notice of Withdrawal
Current Cancer Drug Targets Association of N-Acetyltransferase-2 Genotypes and Anti-Tuberculosis Induced Liver Injury: First Case-Controlled Study from Iran
Current Drug Safety Antimicrobial Peptides: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy in Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance
Current Medicinal Chemistry Pharmacogenetic Syndrome of Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency
Current Pharmacogenomics Microarray-Based Technology for Glycomics Analysis
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Diagnostic Usage of Low Dose CT in Solitary Pulmonary Nodule Follow Up in Daily Practice
Current Medical Imaging Recent Patents in Dendrimers for Nanomedicine: Evolution 2014
Recent Patents on Nanomedicine Opportunities and Challenges in Nano-structure Mediated Drug Delivery: Where Do We Stand?
Current Nanomedicine Auraptene: A Natural Biologically Active Compound with Multiple Targets
Current Drug Targets Proteomic and Metallomic Strategies for Understanding the Mode of Action of Anticancer Metallodrugs
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Discovery of GPCR Ligands by Molecular Docking Screening: Novel Opportunities Provided by Crystal Structures
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Subject Index To Volume 7
Current Protein & Peptide Science Diabetes Exacerbates Nanoparticles Induced Brain Pathology
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Chemistry and Pharmacology of Neglected Helminthic Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry CARING (CAncer Risk and INsulin analoGues): The Association of Diabetes Mellitus and Cancer Risk with Focus on Possible Determinants - A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis
Current Drug Safety Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography for Focal Liver Lesions Characterization: Clinical Perspective
Current Medical Imaging The Urokinase Receptor Interactome
Current Pharmaceutical Design