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Novel roles for Slits and netrins: axon guidance cues as anticancer targets?

Patrick Mehlen1, Céline Delloye-Bourgeois, Alain Chédotal

  • 1Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory-Equipe labellisée La Ligue-, CRCL UMR INSERM U1052 CNRS 5286, Université de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, 69008 Lyon, France. mehlen@lyon.fnclcc.fr

Nature Reviews. Cancer
|February 18, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Embryogenesis genes like Netrins and Slits regulate tumor development by bypassing safeguards. Deregulated expression in cancers suggests their potential as tumor suppressors or oncogenes and targets for cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Molecular Oncology

Background:

  • Genes crucial for embryogenesis can influence tumor progression by overcoming anti-tumor mechanisms.
  • Axon guidance cues, including Netrins and Slits, are implicated in cancer development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of Netrins and Slits in tumor development and progression.
  • To investigate the potential of Netrin-receptor and Slit-receptor interactions as therapeutic targets in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of gene and protein expression in human cancers.
  • Review of existing literature on Netrin/Slit signaling in embryogenesis and cancer.

Main Results:

  • Netrin 1 binds to deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) and UNC5 receptors.
  • Slit proteins bind to roundabout receptors (Robos).
  • Expression of Netrins and Slits is frequently deregulated in various human cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Netrins and Slits can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors.
  • These ligand-receptor pairs represent promising targets for developing personalized anti-cancer therapies.

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