PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer

PAX genes, known as master regulators, encode paired box (PAX) proteins that govern key processes in organ development and are widely expressed in normal tissues. Notably, PAX proteins also play a pivotal role in both promoting and suppressing tumorigenesis. They influence essential cellular functio...

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Main Authors: Erica Giacobbi, Maria Paola Scioli, Francesca Servadei, Valeria Palumbo, Rita Bonfiglio, Pierluigi Bove, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Diagnostics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/11/1420
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author Erica Giacobbi
Maria Paola Scioli
Francesca Servadei
Valeria Palumbo
Rita Bonfiglio
Pierluigi Bove
Alessandro Mauriello
Manuel Scimeca
author_facet Erica Giacobbi
Maria Paola Scioli
Francesca Servadei
Valeria Palumbo
Rita Bonfiglio
Pierluigi Bove
Alessandro Mauriello
Manuel Scimeca
author_sort Erica Giacobbi
collection DOAJ
description PAX genes, known as master regulators, encode paired box (PAX) proteins that govern key processes in organ development and are widely expressed in normal tissues. Notably, PAX proteins also play a pivotal role in both promoting and suppressing tumorigenesis. They influence essential cellular functions such as survival, proliferation, fate determination, differentiation, invasion, metastasis, and the formation of oncogenic fusion proteins. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of these transcription factors. First, we provide a brief overview of their molecular structure, which underlies their classification into four subgroups. Then, we examine the expression patterns of each PAX gene across organ systems and explore their biological roles in the most relevant malignant neoplasms affecting human health. Additionally, we highlight their diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive significance in the context of cancer.
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spelling doaj-art-b35a415f5277422f85dd7c315cce2a702025-08-20T03:11:18ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-06-011511142010.3390/diagnostics15111420PAX Family, Master Regulator in CancerErica Giacobbi0Maria Paola Scioli1Francesca Servadei2Valeria Palumbo3Rita Bonfiglio4Pierluigi Bove5Alessandro Mauriello6Manuel Scimeca7Department of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Surgical Sciences, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, TOR, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, ItalyPAX genes, known as master regulators, encode paired box (PAX) proteins that govern key processes in organ development and are widely expressed in normal tissues. Notably, PAX proteins also play a pivotal role in both promoting and suppressing tumorigenesis. They influence essential cellular functions such as survival, proliferation, fate determination, differentiation, invasion, metastasis, and the formation of oncogenic fusion proteins. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of these transcription factors. First, we provide a brief overview of their molecular structure, which underlies their classification into four subgroups. Then, we examine the expression patterns of each PAX gene across organ systems and explore their biological roles in the most relevant malignant neoplasms affecting human health. Additionally, we highlight their diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive significance in the context of cancer.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/11/1420PAX familycancerEMTcell deaththerapy
spellingShingle Erica Giacobbi
Maria Paola Scioli
Francesca Servadei
Valeria Palumbo
Rita Bonfiglio
Pierluigi Bove
Alessandro Mauriello
Manuel Scimeca
PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
Diagnostics
PAX family
cancer
EMT
cell death
therapy
title PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
title_full PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
title_fullStr PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
title_full_unstemmed PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
title_short PAX Family, Master Regulator in Cancer
title_sort pax family master regulator in cancer
topic PAX family
cancer
EMT
cell death
therapy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/11/1420
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