title: The many faces of C/EBPδ and their relevance for inflammation and cancer.
abstract: The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD, C/EBPδ) is a transcription factor that modulates many biological processes including cell differentiation, motility, growth arrest, proliferation, and cell death. The diversity of C/EBPδ's functions depends in part on the cell type and cellular context and can have opposing outcomes. For example, C/EBPδ promotes inflammatory signaling, but it can also inhibit pro-inflammatory pathways, and in a mouse model of mammary tumorigenesis, C/EBPδ reduces tumor incidence but promotes tumor metastasis. This review highlights the multifaceted nature of C/EBPδ's functions, with an emphasis on pathways that are relevant for cancer and inflammation, and illustrates how C/EBPδ emerged from the shadow of its family members as a fascinating "jack of all trades." Our current knowledge on C/EBPδ indicates that, rather than being essential for a specific cellular process, C/EBPδ helps to interpret a variety of cues in a cell-type and context-dependent manner, to adjust cellular functions to specific situations. Therefore, insights into the roles and mechanisms of C/EBPδ signaling can lead to a better understanding of how the integration of different signaling pathways dictates normal and pathological cell functions and physiology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD-21702-1201, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kuppusamy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balamurugan
authors.forename: Esta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sterneck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051743:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D051743:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-delta
keywords: C/EBP; cancer.; cell signaling; inflammation; transcription factor