A review on the role of GAS6 and GAS6-AS1 in the carcinogenesis

Growth arrest specific 6 (GAS6) encodes a protein that serves as a ligand for AXL receptor tyrosine kinase and stimulates cell proliferation. Notably, an antisense RNA, namely GAS6-AS1 is transcribed from chromosome 13q34, near GAS6 gene. In vitro functional experiments have demonstrated that GAS6-AS1 can promote proliferation, migration and invasive properties of transformed cells through enhancing entry into S-phase. Notably, mechanistic investigations have shown that GAS6-AS1 can regulate expression of GAS6 at the transcriptional or translational stages through constructing a RNA-RNA duplex, thus enhancing expression of AXL and inducing AXL signaling. Both GAS6 and its antisense transcript contribute in the pathogenesis of human malignancies. In the current review, we provide a summary of studies that appraised the role of these genes in the carcinogenesis.