Roles of the NR2F Family in the Development, Disease, and Cancer of the Lung

Abstract

The NR2F family, including NR2F1, NR2F2, and NR2F6, belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. NR2F family members function as transcription factors and play essential roles in the development of multiple organs or tissues in mammals, including the central nervous system, veins and arteries, kidneys, uterus, and vasculature. In the central nervous system, NR2F1/2 coordinate with each other to regulate the development of specific brain subregions or cell types. In addition, NR2F family members are associated with various cancers, such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer. Nonetheless, the roles of the NR2F family in the development and diseases of the lung have not been systematically summarized. In this review, we mainly focus on the lung, including recent findings regarding the roles of the NR2F family in development, physiological function, and cancer.

Keywords: NR2F family; carcinogenesis; lung; nuclear receptors.

Figure 1

Roles of the NR2F family in the lung development. (a) An illustration of lung development. (b) NR2F1/2 were identified as markers of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in lung. (c) Up-regulation of Nr2f1 increases the number of lung bronchial epithelial ciliated cells through cilia-related genes such as DNAI2.

Figure 2

The effect of nuclear receptors in lung cancer. These seven nuclear receptors are all associated with the NR2F family, and the nuclear receptors near the left of the figure tend to have a positive effect in lung cancer, while the nuclear receptors near the right of the figure tend to have a negative effect, and the nuclear receptors near the middle of the figure have a debatable effect.