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Clinical significance of HuR expression in human malignancy

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Abstract

Hu-antigen R (HuR) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates the stability, translation, and nucleus-to-cytoplasm translocation of target mRNAs. The aim of the present review was to summarize and present the currently available information in the English literature on HuR expression in various human tumors, verifying its possible clinical significance. HuR function is directly linked to its subcellular localization. In normal cells, HuR is mostly localized in the nucleus, while in malignant cells, an increase in cytoplasmic HuR levels has been noted, in both cell lines and tissue samples. Moreover, in malignancy, elevated HuR expression levels and cytoplasmic immunohistochemical pattern have been correlated with advanced clinicopathological parameters and altered expression levels of proteins implicated in neoplasia. Additionally, elevated HuR expression levels and mainly cytoplasmic immunohistochemical pattern were correlated with decreased patients’ survival rate in various human tumors. HuR is a putative drug target for cancer therapy, since it is expressed ubiquitously in malignant clinical samples and has an apparently consistent role in tumor formation and progression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Ioly Kotta-Loizou

  2. First Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Constantinos Giaginis & Stamatios Theocharis

  3. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, 2 Mitropoliti Ioakeim Street, 81400, Myrina, Lemnos, Greece

    Constantinos Giaginis

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  1. Ioly Kotta-Loizou
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Correspondence to Constantinos Giaginis.

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Kotta-Loizou, I., Giaginis, C. & Theocharis, S. Clinical significance of HuR expression in human malignancy. Med Oncol 31, 161 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-014-0161-y

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