A highway to carcinogenesis: the role of IQGAP1, a signaling scaffolding protein, in head and neck cancer development.

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most frequent cancer worldwide. One of the most critical signaling pathways in HNSCC is the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor/ Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (EGFR/PI3K) pathway. IQ motif-containing GTPase- activating protein 1 (IQGAP1), a protein upregulated in multiple types of cancer, acts as a scaffold for this pathway and others implicated in cancer. IQGAP1 is overexpressed in HNSCCs, and its overexpression correlates with poorer prognosis in HNSCC patients, indicating that IQGAP1 might be important in HNSCC development. Here, we summarized our recent demonstrating a role of IQGAP1 in promoting HNSCC, at least in part, by scaffolding the EGFR/PI3K signaling pathway.