The Clinical Significance and Mechanisms of REG4 in Human Cancers.

Regenerating islet-derived type 4 (), a member of the calcium-dependent lectin gene superfamily, is abnormally expressed in various cancers, such as colorectal, gastric, gallbladder, pancreatic, ovarian, prostate, and lung cancer. is associated with a relatively unfavorable prognosis and clinicopathologic features in cancers, including advanced tumor and nodal stage, histological differentiation, and liver and peritoneal metastasis. Moreover, -positive cancer cells show more frequent resistance to chemoradiotherapy, especially 5-FU-based chemotherapy. participates in many aspects of carcinogenesis, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. The underlying mechanisms are complex and involve a series of signaling mediators and multiple pathways. Thus, may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as a candidate therapeutic target in cancer patients. In this review, we systematically summarize the advances about the clinical significance, biological functions, and mechanisms underlying in cancer to provide new directions for future cancer research.