The complex between the beta1 integrin and hERG1 potassium channels as a new molecular target in antineoplastic therapy

Background: hERG1 channels are voltage dependent K+ channels often aberrantly expressed in primary human cancers. hERG1 channels exert pleiotropic effects in cancer cells, in turn regulating cell proliferation, cell motility and invasiveness or stimulating the process of neo-angiogenesis. hERG1 can induce such diverse effects in cancer cells since it triggers and modulates intracellular signaling cascades. This role depends on the formation, on the plasma membrane of tumour cells, of macromolecular complexes with the beta 1 subunit of integrin receptors. Therefore, the beta1 integrin/hERG1 complex may represent a novel molecular target in antineoplastic therapy, and its molecular characterization can represent a very useful task in designing novel antineoplastic therapies. ... ...