Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Future Oncol. 2009 Dec;5(10):1631-40. doi: 10.2217/fon.09.125.
The membrane mucin MUC4 (human) is abundantly expressed in many epithelia, where it is proposed to play a protective role, and is overexpressed in some epithelial tumors. Studies on the rat homologue, Muc4, indicate that it acts through anti-adhesive or signaling mechanisms. In particular, Muc4/MUC4 can serve as a ligand/modulator of the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2, regulating its phosphorylation and the phosphorylation of its partner ErbB3, with or without the involvement of the ErbB3 ligand neuregulin. Muc4/MUC4 can also modulate cell apoptosis via multiple mechanisms, both ErbB2 dependent and independent. Muc4/MUC4 expression is regulated by multiple mechanisms, ranging from transcriptional to post-translational. The roles of MUC4 in tumors suggest that it may be valuable as a tumor marker or target for therapy.
膜黏蛋白 MUC4（人）在许多上皮组织中大量表达，据推测其在其中发挥保护作用，并且在上皮肿瘤中过度表达。对大鼠同源物 Muc4 的研究表明，它通过抗黏附或信号转导机制发挥作用。特别是，Muc4/MUC4 可以作为受体酪氨酸激酶 ErbB2 的配体/调节剂，调节其磷酸化及其伴侣 ErbB3 的磷酸化，无论是否涉及 ErbB3 配体神经调节蛋白。Muc4/MUC4 还可以通过多种机制，包括 ErbB2 依赖和独立的机制，调节细胞凋亡。Muc4/MUC4 的表达受多种机制的调控，从转录到翻译后水平都有。MUC4 在肿瘤中的作用表明，它可能作为肿瘤标志物或治疗靶点具有重要价值。
