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Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) in cancer

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Abstract

Background

The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) is a transmembrane transporter of polymeric IgA through the intestinal epithelium. Its overexpression has been reported in several cancers, but its role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of oncogenesis is currently unclear.

Method

A literature search was conducted to summarize the functions of pIgR, its expression levels, and its clinical implications.

Results

pIgR expression has previously been investigated by proteomic analysis, RNA sequencing, and tissue microarray at the level of both RNA and protein in various cancers including pancreatic, esophageal, gastric, lung, and liver. However, studies have reported inconsistent results on how pIgR levels affect clinical outcomes such as survival rate and chemotherapy resistance. Possible explanations include pIgR mRNA levels being minimally correlated with the rate of downstream pIgR protein synthesis, and the diversity of antibodies used in immunohistochemistry studies further magnifying this ambiguity. In ovarian cancer cells, the transcytosis of IgA accompanied a series of transcriptional changes in intracellular inflammatory pathways that inhibit the progression of cancer, including the upregulation of IFN-gamma and downregulation of tumor-promoting ephrins. These findings suggest that both the levels of pIgR and secreted IgA from tumor-infiltrating B cells affect clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

Overall, no direct correlation was observed between the levels of pIgR inside tumor tissue and the clinical features in cancer patients. Measuring pIgR protein levels with a more specific and possibly chemically defined antibody, along with tumoral IgA, is a potential solution to better understand the pathways and consequences of pIgR overexpression in cancer cells.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2

(Modified from Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 25;22(5):2284)

Fig. 3
Fig. 4

(Modified from Journal of Oral Sciences 2011 Vol. 53, No. 2, 147–157)

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Data availability

There is no data obtained for this review paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jisu Chae & Junho Chung

  2. Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jisu Chae, Jinny Choi & Junho Chung

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Junho Chung

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  1. Jisu Chae
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Contributions

JC devised the initial text, designed figures and compiled relevant literature. JC helped with the editing of text. JC finalized the text and figures and received input from all coauthors.

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Correspondence to Junho Chung.

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Chae, J., Choi, J. & Chung, J. Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) in cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149, 17683–17690 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-05335-4

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