Lysophosphatidic acid receptors in cancer pathobiology.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptors (LPA1 to LPA6) are G protein-coupled transmembrane and mediate a variety of biological responses through the binding of LPA, such as cell proliferation, migration, morphogenesis and differentiation. Previously, high secretion levels of LPA were found in blood and ascites from patients with aggressive ovarian cancer. So far, numerical studies have demonstrated that LPA signaling via LPA receptors contributes to the acquisition of malignant potency by several cancer cells. Moreover, genetic and epigenetic alterations of LPA receptor genes have been detected in cancer cells. Therefore, it is suggested that LPA signaling may be a target molecule for the establishment of chemoprevention agents in clinical cancer approaches. Here, we review the current knowledge for the biological roles of LPA signaling via LPA receptors in the pathogenesis of cancer cells.