title: Unravelling the Complexity and Functions of MTA Coregulators in Human Cancer.
abstract: Since the initial recognition of the metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) as a metastasis-relevant gene approximately 20 years ago, our appreciation for the complex role of the MTA family of coregulatory proteins in human cancer has profoundly grown. MTA proteins consist of six family members with similar structural units and act as central signaling nodes for integrating upstream signals into regulatory chromatin-remodeling networks, leading to regulation of gene expression in cancer cells. Substantial experimental and clinical evidence demonstrates that MTA proteins, particularly MTA1, are frequently deregulated in a wide range of human cancers. The MTA family governs cell survival, the invasive and metastatic phenotypes of cancer cells, and the aggressiveness of cancer and the prognosis of patients with MTA1 overexpressing cancers. Our discussion here highlights our current understanding of the regulatory mechanisms and functional roles of MTA proteins in cancer progression and expands upon the potential implications of MTA proteins in cancer biology and cancer therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Epigenetics in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: daqiangli1974@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Da-Qiang
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas M.D., Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA. Electronic address: bcmrxk@gwu.edu.
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators
chemical_list: C089320:MTA1 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D006655:Histone Deacetylases
keywords: Cancer; Gene transcription; Metastasis-associated gene; NuRD complex