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World J Biol Chem. Aug 26, 2010; 1(8): 248-253
Published online Aug 26, 2010. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v1.i8.248
Plasma membrane calcium pumps and their emerging roles in cancer
Sarah J Roberts-Thomson, Merril C Curry, Gregory R Monteith
Sarah J Roberts-Thomson, Merril C Curry, Gregory R Monteith, School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Author contributions: All authors were involved in manuscript writing and planning and the design and production of figures and tables.
Supported by The NHMRC (569645) and a University of Queensland Research Scholarship to MCC
Correspondence to: Gregory R Monteith, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. gregm@uq.edu.au
Telephone: +61-7-33461855 Fax: +61-7-33461999
Received: May 28, 2010
Revised: June 25, 2010
Accepted: July 2, 2010
Published online: August 26, 2010
Abstract

Alterations in calcium signaling and/or the expression of calcium pumps and channels are an increasingly recognized property of some cancer cells. Alterations in the expression of plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) isoforms have been reported in a variety of cancer types, including those of breast and colon, with some studies of cancer cell line differentiation identifying specific PMCA isoforms, which may be altered in some cancers. Some studies have also begun to assess levels of PMCA isoforms in clinical tumor samples and to address mechanisms of altered PMCA expression in cancers. Both increases and decreases in PMCA expression have been reported in different cancer types and in many cases these alterations are isoform specific. In this review, we provide an overview of studies investigating the expression of PMCA in cancer and discuss how both the overexpression and reduced expression of a PMCA isoform in a cancer cell could bestow a growth advantage, through augmenting responses to proliferative stimuli or reducing sensitivity to apoptosis.

Keywords: Plasma membrane calcium ATPase; Calcium pump; Cancer; Expression; Tumorigenesis