The Role of Cellular Prion Protein in Cancer Biology: A Potential Therapeutic Target

Prion protein has two isoforms including cellular prion protein (PrP C ) and scrapie prion protein (PrP Sc ). PrP Sc is the pathological aggregated form of prion protein and it plays an important role in neurodegenerative diseases. PrP C is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein that can attach to a membrane. Its expression begins at embryogenesis and reaches the highest level in adulthood. PrP C is expressed in the neurons of the nervous system as well as other peripheral organs. Studies in recent years have disclosed the involvement of PrP C in various aspects of cancer biology. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the roles of PrP C in proliferation, cell survival, invasion/metastasis, and stem cells of cancer cells, as well as its role as a potential therapeutic target.