TAM-R breast cancer is characterized by Del-1 overexpression and tumor progression can be inhibited by Del-1 depletion, which restores TAM sensitivity.
Furthermore, a correlation was found between Del-1 expression and an aggressive histological grade, nuclear mitosis, and polymorphism, suggesting a possible role in tumor progression.
Epidermal Growth Factor-like repeats and Discoidin I-Like Domains 3 (EDIL3), an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein associated with vascular morphogenesis and remodeling, is commonly upregulated in multiple types of human cancers and correlates with tumor progression.
Our findings demonstrated for the first time that there are deleterious effects of high levels of Del-1 in lung carcinoma cells, and suggest that Del-1 may be used as a diagnostic or prognostic marker for cancer progression, and as a novel therapeutic target for lung carcinoma.