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The emerging role of SPOP protein in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy

Yizuo Song1, Yichi Xu1, Chunyu Pan1

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 109 Xueyuan Xi Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, China.

Molecular Cancer
|January 6, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) has a dual role in cancer, suppressing tumors in some cancers but promoting them in others, like kidney cancer. Its function varies by cancer type, making it a potential therapeutic target.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) is a key component of the cullin-RING E3 ligase complex.
  • SPOP plays a context-dependent role in tumorigenesis, acting as a tumor suppressor in many cancers but an oncogene in kidney cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the structure, regulation, and function of SPOP in human cancer.
  • To highlight SPOP's critical role in tumorigenesis across different cancer types.
  • To evaluate SPOP as a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on SPOP in human cancer.
  • Analysis of physiological (animal models), pathological (human specimens), and biochemical (ubiquitin substrates) evidence.
  • Examination of SPOP's cancer type-specific functions.

Main Results:

  • SPOP suppresses tumorigenesis in prostate, lung, colon, gastric, and liver cancers.
  • SPOP exhibits oncogenic functions in kidney cancer.
  • The role of SPOP in thyroid, cervical, ovarian, bone, and neurologic cancers requires further investigation.

Conclusions:

  • SPOP's biological functions are cancer type-specific.
  • SPOP's dual role in cancer progression warrants further research.
  • SPOP represents a promising therapeutic target for various human malignancies.
Keywords:
CancerOncoproteinSPOPTherapyTumor suppressor

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