The novel oncogene CD24 and its arising role in the carcinogenesis of the GI tract: from research to therapy

Abstract

CD24 was first described in the early 1980s and only attributed to scattered publications, referred to as a cell surface molecule in hematopoiesis. Recently, studies are accumulating to show that CD24 conveys a function in cell-to-cell interaction and regulation of proliferation and adhesion. CD24 appears to be highly expressed in a large variety of human cancers and to contribute to the acceleration of tumor growth and metastases shedding by binding to platelet (P)-selectin, L1 and by evoking – to date unknown – intracellular signal pathways. Anti-CD24 monoclonal antibodies thus act as a promising cancer treatment as was shown in the setting of gastrointestinal cancers. Recent articles also correlate CD24 expression with the identification of ‘tumor stem cells’.

Keywords::

• cancer treatment
• CD24
• GI cancer
• monoclonal antibody
• oncogene
• P-selectin
• signal transduction
• tumor stem cell

Financial & competing interests disclosure

SWA-11 and ML-5 monoclonal antibodies were generously supplied by Peter Altevogt (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.