Abstract
Nestin is a member of the intermediate filament family, which is expressed in a variety of stem or progenitor cells as well as in several types of malignancies. Nestin might be involved in tissue homeostasis or repair, but its expression has also been associated with processes that lead to a poor prognosis in various types of cancer. In this article, we review the literature related to the effect of nestin expression in the lung. According to most of the reports in the literature, nestin expression in lung cancer leads to an aggressive phenotype and resistance to chemotherapy as well as radiation treatments due to the upregulation of phenomena such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Furthermore, nestin may be involved in the pathogenesis of some non-cancer-related lung diseases. On the other hand, evidence also indicates that nestin-positive cells may have a role in lung homeostasis and be capable of generating various types of lung tissues. More research is necessary to establish the true value of nestin expression as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in lung cancer in addition to its usefulness in therapeutic approaches for pulmonary diseases.
Highlights
Cytoskeletal proteins include microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments (IFs)
The results indicated that the expression of nestin was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and that the association was maintained in Asians and Caucasians after stratification by race
With regard to breast cancer, while Meisen et al [84] analyzed a cohort of 166 patients and found that nestin expression was significantly associated with the metastasis of breast cancer to the lung and brain, Sihto et al [85] analyzed 234 patients and found that breast cancers that metastasize to the lungs infrequently express nestin
Summary
Cytoskeletal proteins include microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments (IFs). Nestin was originally described in neuroepithelial stem cells of developing and adult brains and, since its expression has been described in many types of stem/progenitor cells in tissues such as the bone marrow, heart, skeletal muscle, pancreas, testis, and hair. In these and other sites, nestin might have a role in active proliferation, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. Oncogenic events include the activation of proto-oncogenes in addition tothe the stem cells after epigenetic mutations occur. Oncogenic events include the activation of proto-oncogenes in addition stem cells after epigenetic mutations occur.
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