RUNX1 and cancer

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) is frequently involved in the progression of acute leukemia. However, emerging and discoverable RUNX1 somatic mutations, RUNX1 expressional signatures in normal tissues and cancers, and RUNX1's clinical significance in many cancer types have attracted attention for considering RUNX1 as a biomarker for cancer. Recent discoveries have demonstrated the indirect and direct biological functions of RUNX1 in modulating cancer metastasis, proliferation, angiogenesis, cancer stemness and chemoresistance to anticancer drugs, warranting the further investigations of the underlying mechanisms to provide knowledge for developing a novel therapeutic approach. In this review article, we focused mainly on recent research developments involving oncogenic activities of RUNX1 by summarizing and integrating RUNX1 somatic mutations, clinical trials, transcriptome data, clinical information and the discoveries related to the RUNX1-induced signaling pathway in modulating malignant phenotypes. Furthermore, a comprehensive demonstration of RUNX1 RNA expression in a pancancer panel and specific normal cell types at single-cell level were presented, and the results suggest potential sites and cell types of RUNX1-related tumorigenesis. With this review, we aim to shed light on the understanding of the regulatory role of RUNX1 in cancer progression, and provide information for guiding potential research directions in this field.