The novel oncogene CD24 and its arising role in the carcinogenesis of the GI tract: from research to therapy.
CD24 was first described in the early 1980s and only attributed to scattered publications, referred to as a cell surface molecule in hematopoiesis. Recently, studies are accumulating to show that CD24 conveys a function in cell-to-cell interaction and regulation of proliferation and adhesion. CD24 appears to be highly expressed in a large variety of human cancers and to contribute to the acceleration of tumor growth and metastases shedding by binding to platelet (P)-selectin, L1 and by evoking--to date unknown--intracellular signal pathways. Anti-CD24 monoclonal antibodies thus act as a promising cancer treatment as was shown in the setting of gastrointestinal cancers. Recent articles also correlate CD24 expression with the identification of 'tumor stem cells'.
Sagiv
Eyal
E
Integrated Cancer Prevention Center, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel. sagiveyal@yahoo.com
Arber
Nadir
N
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051927:CD24 Antigen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D051927:CD24 Antigen; C497889:CD24 protein, human