Table 1.
Hox proteins controlling expression of cell adhesion molecules.
| Hox protein | Controlled cell adhesion molecules | Organism | Cell or tissue | Proposed function | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scr | Integrin α subunit (αPS1) (+) |
Drosophila | Salivary gland | Organ formation and migration | [41, 42] |
|
| |||||
| Abd-B | E-Cadherin (+) Nonclassical cadherins (+) |
Drosophila | Posterior spiracle | Organ formation | [40] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxb1 | N-Cadherin (−) Cadherin 6B (−) Cadherin 7 (+) |
Chick | Neural crest cells | EMT | [43] |
|
| |||||
| HOXD1 | β1 Integrin (+) | Human | HUVEC | Increase in cell motility | [44] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxa2 | Cadherin 6B (−) | Chick | Neural crest cells | EMT | [43] |
|
| |||||
| HOXD3 |
β3 Integrin (+) Cadherin 4 (−) |
Human | Erythroleukemia (HEL) |
Increased adhesion to fibronectin | [45, 46] |
|
| |||||
| HOXD3 | β3 Integrin (+) | Human | HUVEC | Conversion to angiogenic phenotype | [47] |
|
| |||||
| HOXD3 |
α3 Integrin (+) β3 Integrin (+) E-Cadherin (−) N-Cadherin (+) |
Human | Lung cancer (A549) |
Increase in cell motility EMT |
[33] |
|
| |||||
| HOXD3 | N-Cadherin (−) | Mouse | Roof plate cells | Expansion in the neural tube | [34] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA4 | β1 Integrin (+) | Human | Ovarian cancer epithelium | Decrease in cell motility | [48] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxc6 | N-CAM (+) | Mouse | NIH 3T3 fibroblast |
Increase in promoter activity | [49] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA7 | E-Cadherin (+) | Human | Ovarian surface epithelium (IOSE-29) |
MET | [50] |
|
| |||||
| HOXB7 | E-Cadherin (−) claudin 1, 4, 7 (−) |
Human | Mammary epithelium (MCF10A) |
EMT | [51] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxb8 | N-CAM (−) | Mouse | NIH 3T3 fibroblast |
Reduction in promoter activity | [16] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxb9 | N-CAM (+) | Mouse | NIH 3T3 fibroblast |
Increase in promoter activity | [16] |
|
| |||||
| HOXB9 | E-Cadherin (−) | Human | Mammary epithelium (MCF10A) |
EMT | [52] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA10 | E-Cadherin (+) | Human | Endometrial carcinoma (SPEC2, KLE) |
MET | [53] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA10 | β3 Integrin (+) | Human | Endometrium | Pathway regulated by sex steroid | [54] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA10 | β3 Integrin (+) | Human | Myeloma (U937) |
Increased adhesion to fibronectin | [55] |
|
| |||||
| HOXA11 | α8 Integrin (+) | Human | Embryonic kidney 239 |
Branching morphogenesis | [56] |
|
| |||||
| Hoxa13 | EphrinA7 (+) | Mouse | Mesenchyme in limb bud | Cell sorting | [57] |
(+): upregulated expression; (−): downregulated expression; HUVEC: human umbilical vein endothelial cells; MET: mesenchymal to epithelial transition; EMT: epithelial to mesenchymal transition.