Expression regulation mechanisms and biological functionsof Autotaxin

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">Autotaxin (ATX) is a key enzyme to produce lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA interacts with at least six specific G protein-coupled receptors on cell membrane, named LPA receptor 1-6, to activate various signal pathways, and plays important roles in physiological and pathological processes. The expression of ATX is regulated at multiple levels in the process of transcription, post-transcription and secretion, and the epigenetic regulation of ATX expression has been clarified recently. ATX and LPA in the tumor microenvironment promote cell proliferation and migration, therefore ATX-LPA signaling pathway is regarded as a potential cancer therapeutic target. Several ATX inhibitors have been developed with clinical application potential. In this review, we will focus on the expression regulation mechanisms and biological functions of ATX, and demonstrate the physiological and pathological significance of ATX-LPA signaling axis.