Research Advances on the Mechanisms of OVOL2 in Development and Tumorigenesis
WU Jiafa*
OVOL2 plays important roles in the development processes of neural tube, heart, placenta and breast. In recent years, studies have shown that OVOL2 is involved in regulating the development of tumor. OVOL2 inhibits tumor cell invasion and metastasis by suppressing EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition)-related genes (ZEB1, SLUG and TWIST1, etc), and WNT and TGF-β signaling pathways. The expression level of OVOL2 is positively correlated with overall survival of the patients with tumor. Studies have found that moderate EMT is related to the stemness of tumor cells. OVOL2 may modulate stemness of tumor cells through EMT and other unknown mechanisms. Therefore, OVOL2 is a potential target for the treatment of malignant tumors. Restoring or increasing the expression level of OVOL2 provides a new strategy for the treatment of some malignant tumors.
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