Metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) promotes the metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer through the inhibition of the cell adhesion molecule Ep-CAM and E-cadherin

Pan-Cancer landscape of protein activities identifies drivers of signalling dysregulation and patient survival

Genetic alterations in cancer cells trigger oncogenic transformation, a process largely mediated by the dysregulation of kinase and transcription factor (TF) activities. While the mutational profiles of thousands of tumours have been extensively characterised, the measurements of protein activities have been technically limited until recently. We compiled public data of matched genomics and (phospho)proteomics measurements for 1,110 tumours and 77 cell lines that we used to estimate activity changes in 218 kinases and 292 TFs. Co-regulation of kinase and TF activities reflects previously known regulatory relationships and allows us to dissect genetic drivers of signalling changes in cancer. We find that loss-of-function mutations are not often associated with the dysregulation of downstream targets, suggesting frequent compensatory mechanisms. Finally, we identified the activities most differentially regulated in cancer subtypes and showed how these can be linked to differences in patient survival. Our results provide broad insights into the dysregulation of protein activities in cancer and their contribution to disease severity.

Emerging role for R-loop formation in hepatocellular carcinoma

The pathophysiological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely associated with genomic instability. Genomic instability has long been considered to be a hallmark of both human genetic disease and cancers. It is now well accepted that regulating R-loop formation to minimized levels is one of critical modulation to maintain genome integrity, and that improper regulation of R-loop metabolism causes genomic instability via DNA breakage, ultimately resulting in replicative senescence and even tumorigenesis. Given that R-loop is natural by-product formed during normal transcription condition, and that several types of cancer have defense mechanism against the genomic instability resulted from R-loop formation, modulating functional implication of proteins involved in the intrinsic and specific mechanisms of abnormal R-loop formation in cancers therefore could play an important part in appropriated therapeutic strategies for HCC cohorts. In this review, we highlight the latest understanding on how R-loops promote genomic instability and address how alterations in these pathways link to human HCC.

Serum proteomic profiling reveals MTA2 and AGO2 as potential prognostic biomarkers associated with disease activity and adverse outcomes in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy accounting for approximately 10% of hematological malignancies. Identification of reliable biomarkers for better diagnosis and prognosis remains a major challenge. This study aimed to identify potential serum prognostic biomarkers corresponding to MM disease activity and evaluate their impact on patient outcomes. Serum proteomic profiles of patients with MM and age-matched controls were performed using LC-MS/MS. In the verification and validation phases, the concentration of the candidate biomarkers was measured using an ELISA technique. In addition, the association of the proposed biomarkers with clinical outcomes was assessed. We identified 23 upregulated and 15 downregulated proteins differentially expressed in newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory MM patients compared with MM patients who achieved at least a very good partial response to treatment (≥VGPR). The top two candidate proteins, metastasis-associated protein-2 (MTA2) and argonaute-2 (AGO2), were selected for further verification and validation studies. Both MTA2 and AGO2 showed significantly higher levels in the disease-active states than in the remission states (p < 0.001). Regardless of the patient treatment profile, high MTA2 levels were associated with shorter progression-free survival (p = 0.044; HR = 2.48; 95% CI, 1.02 to 6.02). Conversely, high AGO2 levels were associated with IgG and kappa light-chains isotypes and an occurrence of bone involvement features (p < 0.05) and were associated with prolonged time to response (p = 0.045; HR = 3.00; 95% CI, 1.03 to 8.76). Moreover, the analytic results using a publicly available NCBI GEO dataset revealed that AGO2 overexpression was associated with shorter overall survival among patients with MM (p = 0.032, HR = 1.60, 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.46). In conclusion, MTA2 and AGO2 proteins were first identified as potential biomarkers that reflect disease activity, provide prognostic values and could serve as non-invasive indicators for disease monitoring and outcome predicting among patients with MM.

Identification of potential inhibitory analogs of metastasis tumor antigens (MTAs) using bioactive compounds: revealing therapeutic option to prevent malignancy

The deeper understanding of metastasis phenomenon and detection of drug targets could be a potential approach to minimize cancer mortality. In this study, attempts were taken to unmask novel therapeutics to prevent metastasis and cancer progression. Initially, we explored the physiochemical, structural and functional insights of three metastasis tumor antigens (MTAs) and evaluated some plant-based bioactive compounds as potent MTA inhibitors. From 50 plant metabolites screened, isoflavone, gingerol, citronellal and asiatic acid showed maximum binding affinity with all three MTA proteins. The ADME analysis detected no undesirable toxicity that could reduce the drug likeness properties of top plant metabolites. Moreover, molecular dynamics studies revealed that the complexes were stable and showed minimum fluctuation at molecular level. We further performed ligand-based virtual screening to identify similar drug molecules using a large collection of 376,342 compounds from DrugBank. The results suggested that several structural analogs (e.g., tramadol, nabumetone, DGLA and hydrocortisone) may act as agonist to block the MTA proteins and inhibit cancer progression at early stage. The study could be useful to develop effective medications against cancer metastasis in future. Due to encouraging results, we highly recommend further in vitro and in vivo trials for the experimental validation of the findings.

Melatonin combined with sorafenib synergistically inhibit the invasive ability through targeting metastasis-associated protein 2 expression in human renal cancer cells

Objectives:

Materials and Methods:

Results:

Conclusion:

MTA2 promotes the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via EIF4E-Twist feedback loop

Metastasis‐associated protein 2 (MTA2) is frequently amplified in many types of cancers; however, the role and underlying molecular mechanism of MTA2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unknown. Here, we reported that MTA2 is highly expressed in ESCC tissue and cells, and is closely related to the malignant characteristics and poor prognosis of patients with ESCC. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, we demonstrated that MTA2 significantly promoted ESCC growth, metastasis, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression. This integrative analysis combined with expression microarray showed that MTA2 could interact with eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (EIF4E), which positively regulates the expression of Twist, known as a master regulator of EMT. Moreover, the results of chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that MTA2 was recruited to the E‐cadherin promoter by Twist, which reduced the acetylation level of the promoter region and thus inhibited expression of E‐cadherin, and subsequently promoted the aggressive progression of ESCC. Collectively, our study provided novel evidence that MTA2 plays an aggressive role in ESCC metastasis by a novel EIF4E‐Twist positive feedback loop, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for the management of ESCC.

Identification of potential inhibitory analogs of metastasis tumor antigens (MTAs) using bioactive compounds: revealing therapeutic option to prevent malignancy.. [DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.19.345975]

The deeper understanding of metastasis phenomenon and detection of drug targets could be a potential approach to minimize cancer mortality. In this study, attempts were taken to unmask novel therapeutics to prevent metastasis and cancer progression. Initially, we explored the physiochemical, structural and functional insights of three metastasis tumor antigens (MTAs) and evaluated some plant based bioactive compounds as potent MTA inhibitors. From 50 plant metabolites screened, isoflavone, gingerol, citronellal and asiatic acid showed maximum binding affinity with all three MTA proteins. The ADME analysis detected no undesirable toxicity that could reduce the drug likeness properties of top plant metabolites. Moreover, molecular dynamics studies revealed that the complexes were stable and showed minimum fluctuation at molecular level. We further performed ligand based virtual screening to identify similar drug molecules using a large collection of 3,76,342 compounds from DrugBank. The results suggested that several structural analogs (e.g. Tramadol, Nabumetone, DGLA, Hydrocortisone) may act as agonist to block the MTA proteins and inhibit cancer progression at early stage. The study could be useful to develop effective medications against cancer metastasis in future. Due to encouraging results, we highly recommend furtherin vitroandin vivotrials for the experimental validation of the findings.

Metastasis-Associated Protein 2 Represses NF-κB to Reduce Lung Tumor Growth and Inflammation

Although NF-κB is known to play a pivotal role in lung cancer, contributing to tumor growth, microenvironmental changes, and metastasis, the epigenetic regulation of NF-κB in tumor context is largely unknown. Here we report that the IKK2/NF-κB signaling pathway modulates metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2), a component of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex (NuRD). In triple transgenic mice, downregulation of IKK2 (Sftpc-cRaf-IKK2DN) in cRaf-induced tumors in alveolar epithelial type II cells restricted tumor formation, whereas activation of IKK2 (Sftpc-cRaf-IKK2CA) supported tumor growth; both effects were accompanied by altered expression of MTA2. Further studies employing genetic inhibition of MTA2 suggested that in primary tumor growth, independent of IKK2, MTA2/NuRD corepressor complex negatively regulates NF-κB signaling and tumor growth, whereas later dissociation of MTA2/NuRD complex from the promoter of NF-κB target genes and IKK2-dependent positive regulation of MTA2 leads to activation of NF-κB signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and lung tumor metastasis. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized biphasic role of MTA2 in IKK2/NF-κB-driven primary-to-metastatic lung tumor progression. Addressing the interaction between MTA2 and NF-κB would provide potential targets for intervention of tumor growth and metastasis. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings strongly suggest a prominent role of MTA2 in primary tumor growth, lung metastasis, and NF-κB signaling modulatory functions.

Transcriptional Suppression of miR-7 by MTA2 Induces Sp1-Mediated KLK10 Expression and Metastasis of Cervical Cancer

MTA2 is involved in tumor proliferation and metastasis. However, the role of MTA2 in cervical cancer thus far has not been identified. In this study, we report that elevated expression of MTA2 negatively correlates with Kallikrein-10 (KLK10) expression and poor prognosis of cervical cancer patients. Knockdown of MTA2 substantially inhibited tumor cell migration and invasion, and it enhanced KLK10 expression of the cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, shMTA2-mediated suppression of cell mobility was significantly restored by knockdown of KLK10. We also found that Sp1 (transcription factor specificity protein 1) is critical for shMTA2-induced transcriptional upregulation of KLK10 and subsequent biological functions. Furthermore, we found that the expression of miR-7 is elevated by MTA2 silencing and then by direct inhibition of Sp1 expression. Knockdown of Sp1 additively enhanced KLK10 expression in MTA2-knocked down cervical cancer cells, suggesting that the miR-7/Sp1 axis acts as an effector of MTA2 to impact KLK10 levels and mobility of cervical cancer cells. Taken together, our findings provide new insights into the physiological relationship between MTA2 and KLK10 via regulating the miR-7/Sp1 axis, and they provide a potential therapeutic target in cervical cancer.

An Emerging Class of Long Non-coding RNA With Oncogenic Role Arises From the snoRNA Host Genes

The small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) are a group of long non-coding RNAs, which are reported in many studies as being overexpressed in various cancers. With very few exceptions, the SNHGs (SNHG1, SNHG3, SNHG5, SNHG6, SNHG7, SNHG12, SNHG15, SNHG16, SNHG20) are recognized as inducing increased proliferation, cell cycle progression, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells, which makes this class of transcripts a viable biomarker for cancer development and aggressiveness. Through our literature research, we also found that silencing of SNHGs through small interfering RNAs or short hairpin RNAs is very effective in both in vitro and in vivo experiments by lowering the aggressiveness of solid cancers. The knockdown of SNHG as a new cancer therapeutic option should be investigated more in the future.

LncRNA HOTAIR promotes the invasion and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma through metastasis-associated gene 2

Despite therapeutic advancements, there has been little improvement in the survival status of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has been shown to be dysregulated in several cancer types. However, the roles of HOTAIR in OSCC remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the association of HOTAIR expression with clinicopathological features in OSCC patients and the crucial roles of HOTAIR in the modulation of tumor progression. Our results showed that HOTAIR was highly expressed both in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines compared with corresponding normal oral mucosa tissues and human oral keratinocytes. Its overexpression was positively correlated with TNM (tumor-node-metastases) stage, histological grade, and regional lymph node metastasis. The knockdown of HOTAIR by short hairpin RNA significantly decreased the migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of OSCC cells in vitro. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between HOTAIR and microRNA-326 expression in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines. Luciferase reporter and loss-of-function assays revealed that HOTAIR acted as a competitive endogenous RNA effectively sponging miR-326, thereby regulating the derepression of metastasis-associated gene 2 (MTA2). Finally, the expression and clinical significance of MTA2 were analyzed in another cohort of OSCC tissue samples. High MTA2 expression was significantly correlated with clinicopathological features of advanced OSCC and poor prognosis for patients with OSCC. Collectively, HOTAIR overexpression promoted the progression of OSCC. The HOTAIR-miR-326-MTA2 axis may contribute to a better understanding of OSCC pathogenesis and be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

MTA2 as a Potential Biomarker and Its Involvement in Metastatic Progression of Human Renal Cancer by miR-133b Targeting MMP-9

Metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) was previously known as a requirement to maintain malignant potentials in several human cancers. However, the role of MTA2 in the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been delineated. In this study, MTA2 expression was significantly increased in RCC tissues and cell lines. Increased MTA2 expression was significantly associated with tumour grade (p = 0.002) and was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival with a high RCC tumour grade. MTA2 knockdown inhibited the migration, invasion, and in vivo metastasis of RCC cells without effects on cell proliferation. Regarding molecular mechanisms, MTA2 knockdown reduced the activity, protein level, and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in RCC cells. Further analyses demonstrated that patients with lower miR-133b expression had poorer survival rates than those with higher expression from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Moreover, miR-133b modulated the 3′untranslated region (UTR) of MMP-9 promoter activities and subsequently the migratory and invasive abilities of these dysregulated expressions of MTA2 in RCC cells. The inhibition of MTA2 could contribute to human RCC metastasis by regulating the expression of miR-133b targeting MMP-9 expression.

Mucin 21 is a key molecule involved in the incohesive growth pattern in lung adenocarcinoma

Decreased cell adhesion has been reported as a significant negative prognostic factor of lung cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the cell incohesiveness in lung cancer have not yet been elucidated in detail. We herein describe a rare histological variant of lung adenocarcinoma consisting almost entirely of individual cancer cells spreading in alveolar spaces in an incohesive pattern. A whole exome analysis of this case showed no genomic abnormalities in CDH1 or other genes encoding cell adhesion molecules. However, whole mRNA sequencing revealed that this case had an extremely high expression level of mucin 21 (MUC21), a mucin molecule that was previously shown to inhibit cell‐cell and cell‐matrix adhesion. The strong membranous expression of MUC21 was found on cancer cells using mAbs recognizing different O‐glycosylated forms of MUC21. An immunohistochemical analysis of an unselected series of lung adenocarcinoma confirmed that the strong membranous expression of MUC21 correlated with incohesiveness. Thus, MUC21 could be a promising biomarker with potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications for lung adenocarcinoma showing cell incohesiveness.

Pulmonary loose tumor tissue fragments and spread through air spaces (STAS): Invasive pattern or artifact? A critical review

The concept of loose tumor tissue fragments as a pattern of invasion in lung carcinoma has recently been proposed and is included in the 2015 WHO fascicle on the classification of lung tumors, so-called "spread through airs paces" or STAS. This inclusion is controversial, as there are significant data to support that this histologic finding represents an artifact of tissue handling and processing rather than a pattern of invasion. These data are summarized in this review. These data are summarized in this review and support the conclusion that the inclusion of STAS in the WHO classification for lung cancer as a pattern of invasion was premature and erroneous. In our opinion, these tumor cell clusters or loose cells appear to be simply an artifact, although one which may or may not pinpoint to a high-grade tumor with discohesive cells and adverse prognosis.

miR-1236-3p inhibits invasion and metastasis in gastric cancer by targeting MTA2

Background

MicroRNAs deregulation are common in human tumor progression. miR-1236-3p has been reported to function as tumor suppressor microRNA in various malignancies. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the downregulated expression of miR-1236-3p in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and cell lines, and clarify its biological function in GC.

Methods

Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the mRNA level of miR-1236-3p in GC. Dual luciferase assay was used to demonstrate that MTA2 was one of the candidate target genes of miR-1236-3p. Western blots were utilized to detect the protein levels. Cell function assays were also performed to determine the function of miR-1236-3p in GC.

Results

miR-1236-3p expression, which was associated with lymph node metastasis, differentiation and clinical stage, was significantly reduced in GC tissues and cell lines. miR-1236-3p over-expression could inhibit GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibition of miR-1236-3p expression had opposite effects. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MTA2 was a candidate target of miR-1236-3p, and miR-1236-3p over-expression significantly inhibited the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We also found that miR-1236-3p could suppress the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in GC cells.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that miR-1236-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in GC and could be a promising therapeutic target for GC.

A Prospective Study of Loose Tissue Fragments in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Resection Specimens: An Alternative View to "Spread Through Air Spaces"

The World Health Organization Classification of Lung Tumors considers "Spread Through Air Spaces" a form of invasion in lung adenocarcinoma. The recently described spread of free-floating cell clusters during lung specimen sectioning, otherwise known as "Spread Through A Knife Surface," represents an ex vivo artifact. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the presence and frequency of these free-floating tumor cell clusters in surgically resected lung cancer specimens and their possible relation to gross examination procedures. A prospective, multi-institutional study of non-small cell lung cancer resection specimen was undertaken. At prosection the first cut was made with a clean knife; the second cut was made in a parallel plane to the first. Four tissue blocks were taken from upper and lower parts of first and second cuts. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides were examined for displaced benign and/or malignant tissue fragments. Forty-four resection specimens were studied. The mean number of tumor clusters for blocks 1 to 4 was 0.36, 1.44, 1.86, and 1.95, respectively, and for benign fragments was 0.11, 0.11, 0.13, and 0.25, respectively. Almost all cell clusters were intra-alveolar. Comparison of tumor cell clusters in block 1 with blocks 2 to 4 was significant with P-values (Friedman test for repeated measures 0.03) 0.031, 0.02, and 0.05, respectively. Overall 93% of the loose tissue fragments could be explained by mechanical forces associated with tissue handling. While the 2015 World Health Organization Classification of Lung Tumors recognizes Spread Through Air Spaces as a form of lung cancer invasion, such is debatable and in many instances likely represents mechanical artifact, including dissemination along the prosecting knife blade.

Identification of candidate biomarkers that involved in the epigenetic transcriptional regulation for detection gastric cancer by iTRAQ based quantitative proteomic analysis

BACKGROUND

The sensitivities and specificities of biomarkers for gastric cancer are insufficient for clinical detection, and new diagnostics are therefore urgently required.

METHODS

A discovery set of gastric cancer tissues was labeled with iTRAQ reagents, separated using SCX chromatography, and identified using LC-ESI-MS/MS. A validation set of gastric cancer tissues was used to confirm the expression levels of potential markers.

RESULTS

The present study detected metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) and Histone deacetylases 1 (HDAC1) proteins that were overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues compared with that in adjacent gastric tissue. The sensitivity and specificity of MTA2 in detecting 76 cases gastric cancers were 57.9% (95% CI: 46.5%-69.3%) and 55.3% (95% CI: 43.8%-66.7%), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of HDAC1 were 61.8% (95% CI: 50.7%-73%) and 63.2% (95% CI: 52.1%-74.3%), respectively. The co-expression of MTA2 and HDAC1 in gastric cancer achieved 65.3% sensitivity (95% CI: 51.5%-79.1%) and 65.2% specificity (95% CI: 50.9%-79.5%), which was strongly associated with lymph node metastasis and TNM staging.

CONCLUSION

The present findings indicated a tight correlation between the MTA2 and HDAC1 expression level and lymph node metastasis and TNM staging in gastric cancers. Therefore, MTA2 and HDAC1 might be predictors of lymph node metastasis phenotype and possible target molecule for anticancer drug design in human gastric cancer.

For robust big data analyses: a collection of 150 important pro-metastatic genes

Metastasis is the greatest contributor to cancer-related death. In the era of precision medicine, it is essential to predict and to prevent the spread of cancer cells to significantly improve patient survival. Thanks to the application of a variety of high-throughput technologies, accumulating big data enables researchers and clinicians to identify aggressive tumors as well as patients with a high risk of cancer metastasis. However, there have been few large-scale gene collection studies to enable metastasis-related analyses. In the last several years, emerging efforts have identified pro-metastatic genes in a variety of cancers, providing us the ability to generate a pro-metastatic gene cluster for big data analyses. We carefully selected 285 genes with in vivo evidence of promoting metastasis reported in the literature. These genes have been investigated in different tumor types. We used two datasets downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, specifically, datasets of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, for validation tests, and excluded any genes for which elevated expression level correlated with longer overall survival in any of the datasets. Ultimately, 150 pro-metastatic genes remained in our analyses. We believe this collection of pro-metastatic genes will be helpful for big data analyses, and eventually will accelerate anti-metastasis research and clinical intervention.

Unraveling the Anticancer Effect of Curcumin and Resveratrol

Resveratrol and curcumin are natural products with important therapeutic properties useful to treat several human diseases, including cancer. In the last years, the number of studies describing the effect of both polyphenols against cancer has increased; however, the mechanism of action in all of those cases is not completely comprehended. The unspecific effect and the ability to interfere in assays by both polyphenols make this challenge even more difficult. Herein, we analyzed the anticancer activity of resveratrol and curcumin reported in the literature in the last 11 years, in order to unravel the molecular mechanism of action of both compounds. Molecular targets and cellular pathways will be described. Furthermore, we also discussed the ability of these natural products act as chemopreventive and its use in association with other anticancer drugs.

Upregulation of metastasis-associated gene 2 promotes cell proliferation and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Aims

Metastasis-associated gene 2 (MTA2) is reported to play an important role in tumor progression, but little is known about the role of MTA2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The aim of the study was to explore the expression and function of MTA2 in NPC.

Methods

Expression of MTA2 in NPC tissues and cell lines was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Relationship between MTA2 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed. Stable MTA2-overexpressing and MTA2-siliencing NPC cells were established by transfection with plasmids encoding MTA2 cDNA and lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA, respectively. Cell viability was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assay. Cell migration ability was evaluated by wound healing and transwell invasion assay. The impact of MTA2 knockdown on growth and metastasis of CNE2 cells in vivo was determined by nude mouse xenograft models. Expression of several Akt pathway proteins was detected by Western blotting.

Results

MTA2 was upregulated in NPC tissues and three NPC cell lines detected (CNE1, CNE2, and HNE1). MTA2 expression was related to clinical stage and lymph node metastasis of patients with NPC. MTA2 upregulation promoted proliferation and invasion of CNE1 cells, while MTA2 depletion had opposite effects on CNE2 cells. Moreover, MTA2 depletion suppressed growth and metastasis of CNE2 cells in vivo. MTA2 overexpression activated Akt and upregulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 7 and cyclin D1.

Conclusion

We conclude that MTA2 acts as an oncogene in tumorigenesis of NPC. MTA2 may be a potential target for gene therapy in NPC.

Structure, expression and functions of MTA genes

Metastatic associated proteins (MTA) are integrators of upstream regulatory signals with the ability to act as master coregulators for modifying gene transcriptional activity. The MTA family includes three genes and multiple alternatively spliced variants. The MTA proteins neither have their own enzymatic activity nor have been shown to directly interact with DNA. However, MTA proteins interact with a variety of chromatin remodeling factors and complexes with enzymatic activities for modulating the plasticity of nucleosomes, leading to the repression or derepression of target genes or other extra-nuclear and nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase (NuRD)-complex independent activities. The functions of MTA family members are driven by the steady state levels and subcellular localization of MTA proteins, the dynamic nature of modifying signals and enzymes, the structural features and post-translational modification of protein domains, interactions with binding proteins, and the nature of the engaged and resulting features of nucleosomes in the proximity of target genes. In general, MTA1 and MTA2 are the most upregulated genes in human cancer and correlate well with aggressive phenotypes, therapeutic resistance, poor prognosis and ultimately, unfavorable survival of cancer patients. Here we will discuss the structure, expression and functions of the MTA family of genes in the context of cancer cells.