title: Recent discoveries concerning the involvement of transcription factors from the Grainyhead-like family in cancer.
abstract: The Grainyhead-like (GRHL) family of transcription factors has three mammalian members, which are currently termed Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1), Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2), and Grainyhead-like 3 (GRHL3). These factors adopt a DNA-binding immunoglobulin fold homologous to the DNA-binding domain of key tumor suppressor p53. Their patterns of expression are tissue and developmentally specific. Earlier studies of the GRHL proteins focused on their functions in mammalian development. In recent years, these factors have been linked to many different types of cancer: squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, breast cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, and cervical cancer. The roles of GRHL proteins in these various types of cancer are complex, and in some cases appear to be contradictory: they can serve to promote cancer development, or they may act as tumor suppressors, depending on the particular GRHL protein involved and on the cancer type. The reasons for obvious discrepancies in results from different studies remain unclear. At the molecular level, the GRHL transcription factors regulate the expression of genes whose products are involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and polarity. We herein review the roles of GRHL proteins in cancer development, and we critically examine relevant molecular mechanisms, which were proposed by different authors. We also discuss the significance of recent discoveries implicating the involvement of GRHL transcription factors in cancer and highlight potential future applications of this knowledge in cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mlacki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kikulska
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krzywinska
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pawlak
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland t.wilanowski@nencki.gov.pl.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilanowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C518352:GRHL1 protein, human; C470830:GRHL2 protein, human; C473143:GRHL3 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA
keywords: Cancer; Grainyhead-like factors; epithelium; gene expression; oncogenes; transcription factors; tumor suppressors