Title:Role of FoxM1 in the Progression and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition of Gastrointestinal Cancer
Volume: 12
Issue: 3
Author(s): Jing Zhang, Yangyang Niu and Chen Huang*
Affiliation:
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200080,China
Keywords:
EMT, FoxM1, gastrointestinal cancer, ncRNA, TGF-β, WNT.
Abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, characterized by its leading mortality, is one of the most common
cancers worldwide. The underlying mechanisms contributing to epithelial to mesenchymal transition
(EMT) and metastasis of GI cancer are poorly understood. It is well known that a great number of
transcription factors including FoxM1, KLF4, STAT3 and so forth, are associated with the process of
EMT and have also been strongly implicated in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GI cancer
cells. Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1), a transcription factor of the Forkhead family, is strongly positive in
GI cancers and can be regarded as an oncogene in GI cancers. A number of studies have reported that
FoxM1 is involved in tumorigenesis and promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis,
EMT and metastasis by targeting downstream genes. In this review, we will focus on highlighting the
functions of FoxM1 in tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis of GI cancers, pointing
out the roles of FoxM1 in GI cancer EMT through crosstalk with TGFβ, Wnt signaling pathways and
ncRNA, to better understand the role of FoxM1 in GI cancer, and will discuss recent relevant patents
concerning FoxM1 in tumor therapy.
