Prof Gopal Kundu Seminar

Osteopontin, a chemokine like protein acts as therapeutic target covering all hallmarks of cancer
Substantial advances in breast cancer treatments have resulted in a significant decrease in mortality. However, existing breast cancer therapies often result in high toxicity and nonspecific side effects. Therefore, better targeted delivery and increased efficacy of drugs are crucial to overcome these effects. Osteopontin (OPN), a pro-inflammatory and chemokine like protein plays crucial role in regulating the oncogenic and angiogenic potential of various cancers. Several groups have demonstrated the role of OPN in regulating the cell signaling that ultimately controls tumor progression and metastasis covering all the hallmarks of cancer. During last several years, we have demonstrated that both tumor and stroma-derived OPN regulate tumor growth and angiogenesis through induction of COX-2, uPA and VEGF expressions and activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in breast and other cancers. Our data revealed that OPN regulates p70S6 kinase dependent ICAM-1 expression and JAK/STAT3 signaling leading to tumor growth in breast cancer. Our recent data showed that OPN controls HIF-1alpha dependent VEGF expression and breast tumor angiogenesis. In addition, we have demonstrated that OPN activated macrophages play crucial role in melanoma progression and angiogenesis. Thus targeting OPN and its regulated signaling network could be novel therapeutic strategy for the management of cancers.