Understanding the dual nature of CD44 in breast cancer progression

CD44 has been the subject of extensive research for more than 3 decades because of its role in breast cancer, in addition to many physiological processes, but interestingly, conflicting data implicate CD44 in both tumor suppression and tumor promotion. CD44 has been shown to promote protumorigenic s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular cancer research 2011-12, Vol.9 (12), p.1573-1586
Main Authors: Louderbough, Jeanne M V, Schroeder, Joyce A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics
Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism
Breast Neoplasms - genetics
Breast Neoplasms - metabolism
Breast Neoplasms - pathology
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - genetics
Disease Progression
Female
Genes, Tumor Suppressor
Humans
Hyaluronan Receptors - chemistry
Hyaluronan Receptors - genetics
Hyaluronan Receptors - metabolism
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplastic Stem Cells
Signal Transduction
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Summary:CD44 has been the subject of extensive research for more than 3 decades because of its role in breast cancer, in addition to many physiological processes, but interestingly, conflicting data implicate CD44 in both tumor suppression and tumor promotion. CD44 has been shown to promote protumorigenic signaling and advance the metastatic cascade. On the other hand, CD44 has been shown to suppress growth and metastasis. Histopathological studies of human breast cancer have correlated CD44 expression with both favorable and unfavorable clinical outcomes. In recent years, CD44 has garnered significant attention because of its utility as a stem cell marker and has surfaced as a potential therapeutic target, necessitating a greater understanding of CD44 in breast cancer. In this review, we attempt to unify the literature implicating CD44 in both tumor promotion and suppression, and explain its dualistic nature.
ISSN:1541-7786
1557-3125
DOI:10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-11-0156