Alpha-Enolase: Emerging Tumor-Associated Antigen, Cancer Biomarker, and Oncotherapeutic Target

Overview

Journal Front Genet

Date 2021 Feb 15

PMID 33584813

Citations 44

Authors

Frankis A Almaguel

Tino W Sanchez

Greisha L Ortiz-Hernandez

Carlos A Casiano

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Alpha-enolase, also known as enolase-1 (ENO1), is a glycolytic enzyme that "moonlights" as a plasminogen receptor in the cell surface, particularly in tumors, contributing to cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis. ENO1 also promotes other oncogenic events, including protein-protein interactions that regulate glycolysis, activation of signaling pathways, and resistance to chemotherapy. ENO1 overexpression has been established in a broad range of human cancers and is often associated with poor prognosis. This increased expression is usually accompanied by the generation of anti-ENO1 autoantibodies in some cancer patients, making this protein a tumor associated antigen. These autoantibodies are common in patients with cancer associated retinopathy, where they exert pathogenic effects, and may be triggered by immunodominant peptides within the ENO1 sequence or by posttranslational modifications. ENO1 overexpression in multiple cancer types, localization in the tumor cell surface, and demonstrated targetability make this protein a promising cancer biomarker and therapeutic target. This mini-review summarizes our current knowledge of ENO1 functions in cancer and its growing potential as a cancer biomarker and guide for the development of novel anti-tumor treatments.

Citing Articles

ENO1/Hsp70 Interaction Domains: In Silico and In Vitro Insight for a Putative Therapeutic Target in Cancer.

Gulotta M, Perricone U, Rubino P, Bonura A, Feo S, Giallongo A ACS Omega. 2025; 10(5):5036-5046.

PMID: 39959117 PMC: 11822713. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c10808.

Exploring glycolytic enzymes in disease: potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in neurodegeneration, cancer and parasitic infections.

Rojas-Pirela M, Andrade-Alviarez D, Rojas V, Marcos M, Salete-Granado D, Chacon-Arnaude M Open Biol. 2025; 15(2):240239.

PMID: 39904372 PMC: 11793985. DOI: 10.1098/rsob.240239.

Targeting enolase 1 reverses bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma through YWHAZ/Parkin axis.

Gao X, Feng Q, Zhang Q, Zhang Y, Hu C, Zhang L J Biomed Sci. 2025; 32(1):9.

PMID: 39828712 PMC: 11744840. DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-01101-x.

Multiple Myeloma Cells with Increased Proteasomal and ER Stress Are Hypersensitive to ATX-101, an Experimental Peptide Drug Targeting PCNA.

Olaisen C, Rost L, Sharma A, Sogaard C, Khong T, Berg S Cancers (Basel). 2024; 16(23).

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Osteoblast-Derived ECM1 Promotes Anti-Androgen Resistance in Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Wang X, Wang M, Lin Q, He L, Zhang B, Chen X Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024; 12(2):e2407662.

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