Ubiquitin-like protein FAT10: A potential cardioprotective factor and novel therapeutic target in cancer

Abstract

As a member of the ubiquitin-like protein family, the human leukocyte antigen F locus adjacent transcript 10 is composed of two ubiquitin-like domains that have high homology with ubiquitin. Studies have shown that abnormal FAT10 expression and FAT10ylation are crucial to many aspects of cellular biology, such as protein degradation, immune response, regulation of apoptosis and cell cycle progression. In this manuscript, we review some important biological roles of FAT10 in cardioprotection and tumor promotion. FAT10 may be cardioprotective in ischemia and hypoxia through attenuation of hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis regulated by the BCL2/BAX ratio and caveolin-3. In addition, FAT10 may be a novel cancer biomarker that contributes to proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in a broad spectrum of cancer cells, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), glioma, and gastric carcinoma. These findings imply that FAT10 will be a candidate target during treatment of cardiovascular conditions due to its cardioprotective effect. Moreover, FAT10 is a potential therapeutic target in cancer.