FOXF2 acts as a crucial molecule in tumours and embryonic development

Weihan He,Bolun Zhou,Weihua Guo,Xingjun Jiang,Caiping Ren,Yuanbo Kang,Wei Zhu

doi:10.1038/s41419-020-2604-z

Abstract

As a key member of the forkhead box transcription factors, forkhead box F2 (FOXF2) serves as a transcriptional regulator and regulates downstream gene expression in embryonic development, metabolism and in some common diseases, such as stroke and gastroparesis. Recent studies have shown that aberrant expression of FOXF2 is associated with a variety of tumorigenic processes, such as proliferation, invasion and metastasis. The role of FOXF2 in the development of many different organs has been confirmed by studies and has been speculated about in case reports. We focus on the mechanisms and signal pathways of tumour development initiated by aberrant expression of FOXF2, and we summarize the diseases and signal pathways caused by aberrant expression of FOXF2 in embryogenesis. This article highlights the differences in the role of FOXF2 in different tumours and demonstrates that multiple factors can regulate FOXF2 levels. In addition, FOXF2 is considered a biomarker for the diagnosis or prognosis of various tumours. Therefore, regulating the level of FOXF2 is an ideal treatment for tumours. FOXF2 could also affect the expression of some organ-specific genes to modulate organogenesis and could serve as a biomarker for specific differentiated cells. Finally, we present prospects for the continued research focus of FOXF2.

Highlights

Tumours are a group of diseases characterized by abnormal cell proliferation that often forms local masses in the body
The expression of forkhead box F2 (FOXF2) is downregulated by multiple microRNAs and LSD129, and it is upregulated by TGF-β37, MAZ62 and SP156
These findings suggest that FOXF2 may serve as a new potential marker for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of tumours

Summary

Introduction

Tumours are a group of diseases characterized by abnormal cell proliferation that often forms local masses in the body. The proliferation, invasion, Official journal of the Cell Death Differentiation Association. He et al Cell Death and Disease (2020)11:424 migration and metastasis of tumours can be affected by many factors that are the focus of tumour treatments. The embryonic stage is the key period for generating various organs and tissues, and it is the stage with the highest sensitivity to teratogenic factors. This process is regulated by a network of multiple genes and signalling pathways involving various protein families, such as the paired box (Pax) family and the Smad family[3,4]

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