Theranostics 2022; 12(3):999-1011. doi:10.7150/thno.63654 This issue Cite
Review
1. Department of Urology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
2. Urologic Cancer Institute, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
3. Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.
4. Department of Anesthesiology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China.
5. Department of Pathology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
6. Department of Urology, RenJi Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
7. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.
Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a heterodimeric transmembrane glycoprotein that protects epithelial cells in mammals. The transmembrane C-terminal subunit (MUC1-C) plays a crucial role in oncogenesis. As an oncoprotein, MUC1-C regulates a number of proteins that are associated with tumorigenesis by interacting with oncoproteins, transcription factors, coactivators, etc., inducing proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, stemness, immune evasion, and drug resistance. Moreover, MUC1-C modulates the expression of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which further regulate carcinogenesis by directly binding to specific proteins. ncRNAs can also affect MUC1 protein expression by targeting the MUC1 mRNA 3′ untranslated region (UTR). A series of ncRNAs can modulate cancer development by regulating MUC1-C. This review focuses on the interaction of MUC1-C with proteins and ncRNAs in cancer progression. We also summarize the recent advances in immunotherapy with a focus on therapeutic approaches based on MUC1-C and nanocarrier complexes for cancer treatment.
Keywords: MUC1, proteins, non-coding RNAs, clinical application