TSPAN8

Tspan8 is 1 of the 33 mammalian members of the tetraspanin family, composed of transmembrane proteins that organize laterally, together or with other membrane partners such as integrins, to form ‘tetraspanin webs’. These platforms signal within cells to regulate many cellular processes: adhesion, migration, invasion or survival Tspan8 has been implicated in many types of cancer.Overexpression was reported in glioma and colorectal, esophageal, hepatic, gastric and pancreatic carcinoma. Tspan8 exerts a pro-invasive function by controlling cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions through its association with membrane partners such as α6β4 integrin-protein kinase C (PKC)-activated, E-cadherin, EpCAM, claudin-7 and CD44. Moreover, Tspan8 may be a promising new therapeutic target, as Tspan8-specific antibodies were shown to reduce cell motility, block tumor angiogenesis in vivo.