Repressing CD147 is a novel therapeutic strategy for malignant melanoma

// Xing Hu 1,2 , Juan Su 1,2 ,Youyou Zhou 2 , Xiaoyun Xie 1,2 , Cong Peng 1,2 , Zhimin Yuan 3 and Xiang Chen 1,2 1 Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China 2 Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China 3 Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Correspondence to: Juan Su, email: // Xiang Chen, email: // Keywords : cyclophilin A, CD147, melanoma, cell proliferation, MMPs Received : December 21, 2016 Accepted : January 22, 2017 Published : February 25, 2017 Abstract CD147/basigin, a transmembrane protein, is a member of the immunoglobulin super family. Accumulating evidence has revealed the role of CD147 in the development and progression of various cancers, including malignant melanoma (MM). MM is a malignancy of pigment-producing cells that causes the greatest number of skin cancer-related deaths worldwide. CD147 is overexpressed in MM and plays an important role in cell viability, apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, probably by mediating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production, glycolysis, and multi-drug resistance (MDR). As a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inducer, CD147 could also promote surrounding fibroblasts to secrete abundant MMPs to further stimulate tumor cell invasion. Targeting CD147 has been shown to suppress MM in vitro and in vivo , highlighting the therapeutic potential of CD147 silencing in MM treatment. In this review article, we discuss CD147 and its biological roles, regulatory mechanisms, and potential application as a molecular target for MM.