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SOX on tumors, a comfort or a constraint?
Junqing Jiang1, Yufei Wang1, Mengyu Sun1
1Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei Province, China.
The SOX (SRY-related HMG box) family of transcription factors plays a critical role in cell fate and is implicated in various cancers. This review explores their complex roles in tumorigenesis and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME).
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
- Immunology
Background:
- The SOX (SRY-related HMG box) family comprises 20 conserved transcription factors crucial for cell fate determination.
- Dysregulation of SOX factors is linked to tumorigenesis, affecting invasion, metastasis, proliferation, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, and drug resistance.
- Existing research presents confusion regarding SOX family roles in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and their contradictory impacts on tumors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the physiological functions of the SOX family.
- To elucidate the multifaceted roles of SOX factors in various cancers.
- To focus on the intricate relationship between the SOX family and the TIME, and to propose potential therapeutic strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on SOX family functions.
- Analysis of studies investigating SOX factor involvement in tumorigenesis.
- Focused examination of SOX family interactions within the tumor immune microenvironment.
Main Results:
- SOX factors are vital regulators of cell fate, with dysregulation contributing to multiple hallmarks of cancer.
- The SOX family exhibits complex and sometimes contradictory roles in tumor development and progression.
- Emerging evidence highlights the significant, yet not fully understood, influence of SOX proteins on the TIME.
Conclusions:
- The SOX family plays a critical role in cancer, influencing tumor progression and the immune response.
- Further research into the SOX family's interaction with the TIME is warranted.
- Targeting SOX factors may offer promising new avenues for cancer treatment.
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