title: PDZ domains: the building blocks regulating tumorigenesis.
abstract: Over 250 PDZ (PSD95/Dlg/ZO-1) domain-containing proteins have been described in the human proteome. As many of these possess multiple PDZ domains, the potential combinations of associations with proteins that possess PBMs (PDZ-binding motifs) are vast. However, PDZ domain recognition is a highly specific process, and much less promiscuous than originally thought. Furthermore, a large number of PDZ domain-containing proteins have been linked directly to the control of processes whose loss, or inappropriate activation, contribute to the development of human malignancies. These regulate processes as diverse as cytoskeletal organization, cell polarity, cell proliferation and many signal transduction pathways. In the present review, we discuss how PBM-PDZ recognition and imbalances therein can perturb cellular homoeostasis and ultimately contribute to malignant progression.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Padriciano 99, I-34012 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Vanitha Krishna
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Subbaiah
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kranjec
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Banks
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054731:PDZ Domains; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051153:Wnt Proteins