Eag1 Channels as Potential Cancer Biomarkers

Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. New early tumor markers are needed to treat the disease at curable stages. In addition, new therapeutic targets are required to treat patients not responding to available treatments. Ion channels play major roles in health and disease, including cancer. Actually, several ion channels have been suggested as potential tumor markers and therapeutic targets for different types of malignancies. One of most studied ion channels in cancer is the voltage-gated potassium channel Eag1 (ether à go-go 1), which has a high potential to be used as a cancer biomarker. Eag1 is expressed in most human tumors, in contrast to its restricted distribution in healthy tissues. Several findings suggest Eag1 as a potential early marker for cervical, colon, and breast cancer. In addition, because Eag1 amplification/expression is associated with poor survival in leukemia, colon and ovarian cancer patients, it has also been proposed as a prognosis marker. Moreover, inhibition of either expression or activity of Eag1 leads to reduced proliferation of cancer cells, making Eag1 a potential anticancer target. Using Eag1 in cancer detection programs could help to reduce mortality from this disease.

Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects of Astemizole on Cervical Cancer Cells

“…16 Because of its role in cell proliferation, Eag1 channels have gained great interest in oncology. 5,13,15,28 Astemizole has been suggested as a novel anticancer drug 4Y6 and has proven antiproliferative effects in tumor cells expressing Eag1 channels, including breast cancer and melanoma cells. 12,26 Nevertheless, despite Eag1 mRNA, protein expression, and channel activity in cervical cancer cells, the effect of astemizole on the proliferation and apoptosis of these cells remained unknown.…”

Potassium Channel Ether à go-go1 Is Aberrantly Expressed in Human Liposarcoma and Promotes Tumorigenesis

“…Several Kv channels, especially Eag1 (Kv10.1, KCNH1 ) channels, are crucially implicated in tumor growth, progression, and metastasis [7–9]. Eag1 is a central nervous system- (CNS-) localized channel that is found ectopically expressed in several tumors [10, 11].…”

Zinc transporters and dysregulated channels in cancers

“…Among the four classes of K + channels, voltage-gated K + channels (Kv) and Ca 2+ -activated K + channels (KCa) are the most studied in cancer (139–142). For example, Kv10.1 is overexpressed in almost all solid tumors compared to the matched normal tissue, which makes it a differential diagnostic factor and a prognostic factor often correlating with bad clinical outcomes (143, 144). The intermediate Ca 2+ -activated K + channel, (KCa3.1) has been also reported to be overexpressed in several cancer types including lung and breast cancers (145, 146).…”