UNC-45A: A potential therapeutic target for malignant tumors

Uncoordinated mutant number-45 myosin chaperone A (UNC-45A), a protein highly conserved throughout evolution, is ubiquitously expressed in somatic cells. It is correlated with tumorigenesis, proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of multiple malignant tumors. The current understanding of the role of UNC-45A in tumor progression is mainly related to the regulation of non-muscle myosin II (NM-II). However, many studies have suggested that the mechanisms by which UNC-45A is involved in tumor progression are far greater than those of NM-II regulation. UNC-45A can also promote tumor cell proliferation by regulating checkpoint kinase 1 (ChK1) phosphorylation or the transcriptional activity of nuclear receptors, and induces chemoresistance to paclitaxel in tumor cells by destabilizing microtubule activity. In this review, we discuss the recent advances illuminating the role of UNC-45A in tumor progression. We also put forward therapeutic strategies targeting UNC-45A, in the hope of paving the way the development of UNC-45A-targeted therapies for patients with malignant tumors.