Functional analysis of the emerging roles for the KISS1/KISS1R signaling pathway in cancer metastasis

Zhenxi Li1, Jing Liu1, Hiroyuki Inuzuka1

  • 1Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Insights

Kisspeptins (KISS1) and their receptor (KISS1R) show complex roles in cancer metastasis. Their function is tissue-dependent, offering potential therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Endocrinology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cancer metastasis is a lethal hallmark of human cancers.
  • Kisspeptins, encoded by the KISS1 gene, were initially identified as metastasis suppressors.
  • Kisspeptins are ligands for G-protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54/KISS1R), crucial for the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the epigenetic regulation of KISS1 gene expression.
  • To discuss the context-dependent and controversial roles of KISS1/KISS1R in cancer metastasis.
  • To explore KISS1/KISS1R signaling pathways and their therapeutic potential.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on KISS1/KISS1R in cancer.
  • Analysis of epigenetic mechanisms regulating KISS1 expression.
  • Examination of prometastatic and antimetastatic signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • KISS1/KISS1R exhibits context-dependent roles in metastasis, acting as both a suppressor and promoter.
  • Epigenetic mechanisms significantly influence KISS1 gene expression.
  • The KISS1/KISS1R axis involves complex signaling pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The role of KISS1/KISS1R in cancer metastasis is intricate and tissue-specific.
  • Targeting the KISS1/KISS1R pathway presents a promising, albeit complex, therapeutic strategy for anticancer treatments.

Related Concept Videos

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
6.6K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.6K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.2K
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However,...
2.5K
Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
5.8K