The potential of activator protein 1 (AP-1) in cancer targeted therapy

Dandan Song; Yan Lian; Lin Zhang

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1224892

The potential of activator protein 1 (AP-1) in cancer targeted therapy

Front Immunol. 2023 Jul 6:14:1224892. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1224892. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Dandan Song¹, Yan Lian², Lin Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Medical Research Center for Women and Children Diseases, Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Prevention and Genetic Medicine of Shandong Health Commission, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China.
² Department of Obstetrics, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China.

Abstract

Activator protein-1 (AP-1) is a transcription factor that consists of a diverse group of members including Jun, Fos, Maf, and ATF. AP-1 involves a number of processes such as proliferation, migration, and invasion in cells. Dysfunctional AP-1 activity is associated with cancer initiation, development, invasion, migration and drug resistance. Therefore, AP-1 is a potential target for cancer targeted therapy. Currently, some small molecule inhibitors targeting AP-1 have been developed and tested, showing some anticancer effects. However, AP-1 is complex and diverse in its structure and function, and different dimers may play different roles in different type of cancers. Therefore, more research is needed to reveal the specific mechanisms of AP-1 in cancer, and how to select appropriate inhibitors and treatment strategies. Ultimately, this review summarizes the potential of combination therapy for cancer.

Keywords: AP-1; Fos; Jun; cancer; targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Gene Expression Regulation
Humans
Neoplasms*
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / metabolism
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / metabolism
Transcription Factor AP-1* / metabolism

Substances

Transcription Factor AP-1
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2022QH339), Maternal and Child Health Association of Shandong Province (YJKY2022-026).