Roles of neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 9 in tumor-associated cellular processes (Review).

Neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 9 (NEDD9), a gene exclusively expressed in the brain during embryonic stages but not in brains of adult mice, is an important cytoskeletal protein and regarded as a 'router/hub' in cellular signal transduction processes connecting external stimulation signals with downstream target proteins that can directly promote tumor metastasis. Numerous studies showed that NEDD9 has an essential role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration and invasion. The roles of NEDD9, including the underlying mechanisms of its regulation of cell migration, its distinctive functions in various tumor stages and its association with other diseases, are required to be elucidated at large. Future studies of NEDD9 may provide a more profound understanding of the development of tumor invasiveness and NEDD9 may serve as a potential novel target for tumor therapy. The present review examined the significant roles of NEDD9 in the abovementioned processes.