Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 and 1A3 isoforms – mechanism of activation and regulation in cancer

In some types of human cancer, aldehyde dehydrogenases represent stemness markers and their expression is associated with advanced disease stages and poor prognosis. Although several biological functions are mediated by their product Retinoid acid, the molecular mechanism is tissue-dependent and only partially understood. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the role of ALDH in solid tumours, especially ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A3 isoforms, regarding the molecular mechanism of their transcription and regulation, and their crosstalk with main molecular pathways resulting in the excessive proliferation, chemoresistance, stem cells properties and invasiveness. The recent knowledge of the regulatory effect of lnRNA on ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A3 is discussed too.
Highlights • Aldehyde dehydrogenases are important stem cell markers in many human cancer types. • ALDH1A1 or ALDH1A3 activation participates in tumour progression, chemoresistance, stem-cell properties and invasiveness. • ALDH1A1 interacts with oncogenic pathways Notch, NRF, CXCR4, Polycomb, MDR, and HOX.