Developmental Gene Markers in Tumor Pathogenesis and Progression

Aberrant activity of the genes that regulate cell differentiation and morphogenesis during embryonic development appears to be associated with specific oncogenic processes, from the control of cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis to cell invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition. In this context, one of the most striking examples is represented by the homeobox gene family, a superfamily of transcription factors, mostly involved in the control of the identity of various regions along the body axis, from the branchial area to the tail. In particular, the deregulation of Class I Homeobox genes (HOX genes) is described as strongly associated with neoplastic transformation and dis- ease progression in several human cancers. The preparation of this special issue resulted in a series of 8 articles that have highlighted the deregulation of different developmental genes in tumor pathogenesis and progression. Several molecules, with different cellular functions, have been analyzed such as membrane receptors (FJX1 and SDC1), adhesion molecules (SALM3), and tran- scription factor (TFAP4).