The Role of Snail-1 in Thyroid Cancer—What We Know So Far

Abstract

Thyroid carcinomas, despite the usually indolent behaviour and relatively good overall prognosis, show a high tendency to gain invasive phenotype and metastasise in some cases. However, due to a relatively slow progression, the exact mechanisms governing the metastatic process of thyroid carcinomas, including the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), are poorly described. One of the best-known regulators of cancer invasiveness is Snail-1—a zinc-finger transcription factor that plays a key role as an EMT inducer. More and more attention is being paid to the role of Snail with regard to thyroid cancer development. Apart from the obvious implications in the EMT process, Snail-1 plays an important role in the regulation of chemoresistance of the thyroid cells and cancer stem cell (CSC) formation, and it also interacts with miRNA specific to the thyroid gland. The aim of this review was to summarise the knowledge on Snail-1, especially in the context of thyroid oncogenesis.

Expression and Clinical Utility of Transcription Factors Involved in Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition during Thyroid Cancer Progression

“…Finally, the multivariate analysis demonstrated that none of the molecular parameters analyzed represented an independent prognostic factor for DFI. In agreement with our previous observations, in this analysis, only lymph node metastasis was capable of a significant prediction of the DFI both in our case study and that of the TGCA network, with a hazard ratio, respectively, of 21.0 and 5.8 [ 54 , 57 , 58 ].…”

Pirfenidone Attenuates the EMT Process and the Secretion of VEGF in TGF‐β2‐Induced ARPE‐19 Cells via Inhibiting the Activation of the NF‐κB/Snail Signaling Pathway

“…Previous work has demonstrated that the NF- κ B subunit, p-65, binds to the Snail promoter and directly upregulates the expression, resulting in the repression of E-cadherin expression [ 33 , 34 ]. Snail downregulated the expression of other epithelial molecules and induced the expression of genes associated with a mesenchymal and invasive cell phenotype [ 35 ]. Furthermore, the fibrotic marker CTGF was identified as a downstream target of Snail.…”

Marcadores De Cáncer Stem Cells Y Transición Epitelio Mesenquimal Como Factores De Agresividad Y Progresión en Pacientes Jóvenes Con Cáncer De Tiroides

“…Las CSC pueden experimentar TEM para adquirir características mesenquimales y contribuir a la invasión y metástasis La TEM es un proceso biológico que puede ocurrir durante el desarrollo embrionario, la cicatrización de heridas y la progresión tumoral mejor caracterización de este factor de transcripción podría tener implicancia pronosticas para el CT 22 .…”