Title:HuR as Therapeutic Target in Cancer: What the Future Holds
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
Author(s): Dimitrios Goutas, Alexandros Pergaris, Constantinos Giaginis and Stamatios Theocharis*
Affiliation:
- First Department of Pathology, The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Athens,Greece
Keywords:
HuR protein, cancer therapy, HuR inhibition, small molecules, miRNAs, siRNAs.
Abstract: ELAV-like protein 1 or HuR (human antigen R) is an RNA-binding protein that in humans is
encoded by the ELAVL1 gene, and one of its best functions is to stabilize mRNAs in order to regulate
gene expression. HuR protein overexpression has undoubtedly been linked to an increased risk of tumor
growth, progression and metastasis, rendering it a potential therapeutic target candidate in cancer.
Novel agents, interfering with HuR expression, have been tested, both in vitro and in vivo, with promising
results. The aim of this paper is to review the existing literature regarding the potential agents that
could actively act on and inhibit HuR expression. HuR molecule controls the expression of various
proto-oncogenes, cytokines and growth factors, representing a major player in tumor progression, invasion
and metastasis and constituting an emerging target for cancer therapy. PubMed database was thoroughly
searched, and all published articles providing scientific data on molecules that can exhibit antitumorigenic
effects via HuR inhibition were included. According to these data, HuR inhibition should
be a promising target in cancer therapeutics.