title: Nkx2-1: a novel tumor biomarker of lung cancer.
abstract: Nkx2-1 (Nkx homeobox-1 gene), also known as TTF-1 (thyroid transcription factor-1), is a tissue-specific transcription factor of the thyroid, lung, and ventral forebrain. While it has been shown to play a critical role in lung development and lung cancer differentiation and morphogenesis, molecular mechanisms mediating Nkx2-1 cell- and tissue-specific expression in normal and cancerous lungs have yet to be fully elucidated. The recent identification of prognostic biomarkers in lung cancer, particularly in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), and the different reactivity of patients to chemotherapeutic drugs have opened new avenues for evaluating patient survival and the development of novel effective therapeutic strategies. The function of Nkx2-1 as a proto-oncogene was recently characterized and the gene is implicated as a contributory factor in lung cancer development. In this review, we summarize the role of this transcription factor in the development, diagnosis, and prognosis of lung cancer in the hope of providing insights into the utility of Nkx2-1 as a novel biomarker of lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310006, China. hzforest_yang@163.com
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wen-jing
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Liang-liang
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: En-guo
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ke-jing
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ying
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; C000614412:NKX2-1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors