Open AccessA highway to carcinogenesis: the role of IQGAP1, a signaling scaffolding protein, in head and neck cancer development
Author(s) -
Wei Tao,
Paul F. Lambert
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
oncoscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2331-4737
DOI - 10.18632/oncoscience.511
Subject(s) - iqgap1 , scaffold protein , head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , carcinogenesis , cancer research , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , signal transduction , epidermal growth factor receptor , cancer , biology , head and neck cancer , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most frequent cancer worldwide. One of the most critical signaling pathways in HNSCC is the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor/ Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (EGFR/PI3K) pathway. IQ motif-containing GTPase- activating protein 1 (IQGAP1), a protein upregulated in multiple types of cancer, acts as a scaffold for this pathway and others implicated in cancer. IQGAP1 is overexpressed in HNSCCs, and its overexpression correlates with poorer prognosis in HNSCC patients, indicating that IQGAP1 might be important in HNSCC development. Here, we summarized our recent demonstrating a role of IQGAP1 in promoting HNSCC, at least in part, by scaffolding the EGFR/PI3K signaling pathway.