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Calreticulin as a marker and therapeutic target for cancer

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Abstract

Calreticulin (CRT) is a multifunctional protein found within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In addition, CRT participates in the formation and development of tumors and promotes the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. When a malignant tumor occurs in the human body, cancer cells that die from immunogenic cell death (ICD) expose CRT on their surface, and CRT that is transferred to the cell surface represents an "eat me" signal, which promotes dendritic cells to phagocytose the tumor cells, thereby increasing the sensitivity of tumors to anticancer immunotherapy. Expression of CRT in tumor tissues is higher than in normal tissues and is associated with disease progression in many malignant tumors. Thus, the dysfunctional production of CRT can promote tumorigenesis because it disturbs not only the balance of healthy cells but also the body's immune surveillance. CRT may be a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for cancer, which is discussed extensively in this review.

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Abbreviations

AML:

Acute myeloid leukemia

BC:

Breast cancer

CRT:

Calreticulin

ecto-CRT:

Plasma membrane surface calreticulin

ER:

Endoplasmic reticulum

EMT:

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition

EC:

Esophageal cancer

ICD:

Immunogenic cell death

IFN:

Type I interferon

JAK2:

Janus kinase 2

MPNs:

Myeloproliferative neoplasms

MPL:

Myeloproliferative leukemia protein

NPC:

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National key research and development project (NO. 2021YFE0192100), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (NO.2019JJ40258, NO. 2020JJ4083, NO.2021JJ30694), Science and Technology Innovation Project of Hunan Province (NO. 2020SK51703), Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students in Hunan Province (NO.S202110555296), Key Projects of Hunan Provincial Education Department (NO.21A0285), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Provincial and Municipal Co-funding (NO.2022JJ50029) , Key projects of Shaoyang Science and Technology Bureau (NO.2021GZ031)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China

    Meilan Zhang, Jiangrong Liu, Xue Bai, Xuemei Zeng, Zhiwei Zhang & Feng Liu

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Hengyang Medical School, The Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China

    Juan Xiao

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  1. Meilan Zhang
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  7. Feng Liu
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MZ, JX and XB wrote the manuscript; XZ and JL collected literatures; FL and ZZ supervised the work and drew the figures.

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Correspondence to Zhiwei Zhang or Feng Liu.

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Zhang, M., Xiao, J., Liu, J. et al. Calreticulin as a marker and therapeutic target for cancer. Clin Exp Med 23, 1393–1404 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-022-00937-7

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