J Cancer 2013; 4(8):653-661. doi:10.7150/jca.7626 This issue Cite
Review
1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C1;
2. The Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada;
3. Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada;
4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada N6C 2V5;
5. Department of Oncology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Kisspeptins (KP), peptide products of the kisspeptin-1 (KISS1) gene are the endogenous ligands for a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) - KP receptor (KISS1R). KISS1R couples to the Gαq/11 signaling pathway. KISS1 is a metastasis suppressor gene and the KP/KISS1R signaling has anti-metastatic and tumor-suppressant effects in numerous human cancers. On the other hand, recent studies indicate that KP/KISS1R pathway plays detrimental roles in breast cancer. In this review, we summarize recent developments in the understanding of the mechanisms regulating KP/KISS1R signaling in breast cancer metastasis.
Keywords: Kisspeptin, KISS1R, breast cancer, metastasis, invasion, G protein-coupled receptor.