Multiple functions of Notch signaling in self-renewing organs and cancer

Abstract 

In recent years a substantial body of evidence has accumulated to support the notion that signaling pathways known to be important during embryonic development play important roles in regulating self-renewing tissues. Moreover, the same pathways are often deregulated during tumorigenesis due to mutations of key elements of these pathways. The Notch signaling cascade meets all of the above-mentioned criteria. We discuss here the pleiotropic roles of the Notch signaling pathway in three different self-renewing organs (intestine, hematopoietic system and skin) and how its deregulation is involved in tumorigenesis.

Abbreviations: NICD, Notch intracellular domain, BM, bone marrow, HSC, hematopoietic stem cell, AGM, aorta-gonad-mesonephreos, TA cells, transient amplifying cells, Hes, hairy enhancer of split, FoBs, follicular B cells, MzBs, marginal zone B cells, T-ALL, T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, TAN1, translocation associated Notch homologue, CDKI, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, NFAT, nuclear factors of activated T cells, Shh, sonic hedgehog

Keywords: Notch signaling, Stem cell, Differentiation, Oncogene, Tumor suppressor