Glypican-3

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, participating in the embryonic development of liver, lung, kidney and other organs. GPC3 is not present in normal liver but can be abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, and the patient has lower survival rate and poorer prognosis, which is because GPC3 can promote the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and enhance the interaction between various growth factors and their receptors to stimulate malignant cell proliferation. It is also closely involved in the occurrence and development of lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. However, GPC3 deficiency is associated with shortened overall survival of gastric cancer patients, speculated that its down-regulation may stimulate cancer cell proliferation and invasion by promoting the MAPK/FoxM1 pathway. Meanwhile, GPC3 re-expression can restore the epithelial phenotype of breast cancer cells, and inhibit tumor progression by activating P38 MAPK pathway. In addition, almost all osteosarcoma stem cells exhibit co-expression of GPC3 and CD133, providing a new target for tumor therapy.