PLOD2 in cancer research

Collagen is not only the most abundant protein providing the scaffold for assembly of the extracellular matrix (ECM), but also considered to be the “highway” for cancer cell migration and invasion depending on the different collagen organizations. The accumulation of stabilized collagen is enhanced by different covalent collagen cross-links, lysyl hydroxylases 2 (encoded by the PLOD2 gene) is the key enzyme mediating the formation of the stabilized collagen cross-link. Interestingly, PLOD2 is overexpressed in different cancers and closely related to a poor prognosis. To the best of our knowledge, only the mechanisms of PLOD2 regulated by HIF-1α, TGF-β and microRNA-26a/b have been elaborated. In addition, several pharmacologic inhibitors of PLOD2 have been confirmed to have an anti-metastasis effect. However, there have been no reviews about PLOD2 in cancer research published thus far. In brief, this review about PLOD2 will describe the function, regulatory mechanism, and the inhibitors of PLOD2 in cancer, suggesting the credible clinical evaluation of a prognostic signature in pathological examination and the possible development of therapeutic strategies targeting PLOD2 in the future.