Abstract
OPINION article Front. Cell Dev. Biol., 04 February 2019Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology Volume 7 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2019.00010
Highlights
Serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) is a small secreted protein with dual roles—in the pancreas, it is a protective trypsin inhibitor, while in the context of the tumor microenvironment, it is a cell growth and survival factor that promotes tumor progression
SPINK1, known as pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI), is a 6.2 kDa secreted serine protease inhibitor that is produced by pancreatic acinar cells
We suggest that efforts to more clearly confirm or identify the direct receptor of SPINK1, and the mechanism by which it influences epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling, could lead to identification of novel points for therapeutic intervention in cancers that express SPINK1
Summary
Serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) is a small secreted protein with dual roles—in the pancreas, it is a protective trypsin inhibitor, while in the context of the tumor microenvironment, it is a cell growth and survival factor that promotes tumor progression. Since SPINK1 has been found to be overexpressed by multiple types of tumor cells, including breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreas, liver, and colon (reviewed Itkonen and Stenman, 2014; Rasanen et al, 2016).
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