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Schofield et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2020;6:10 I http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2019.43 Page 9 of 12

be cytotoxic to KG-1 (AML) cells and to the AML leukaemic stem cell fraction, with minimal effects on
[92]
normal healthy stem cells . This report highlights that a-enolase is an actionable therapeutic target that
may be useful in the treatment of cancer, particularly AML.

CONCLUSION
Alpha-enolase plays a supportive role in cancer progression and has been implicated in three of the
hallmarks of cancer: cellular energetics and metabolism; cell proliferation; and invasion and migration.
In cancer cells, a-enolase is overexpressed and localised on the surface, where it acts as a key promotor
of metastasis, driving invasion through plasminogen activation and extracellular matrix degradation. In
several cancer types, patients develop an immune response against a -enolase, and anti-a-enolase antibodies
can be detected in their sera. Increased expression of a-enolase mRNA, proteins or autoantibodies are
associated with decreased metastasis-free survival in several cancer types, including non-small cell lung,
pancreatic, breast and colorectal cancers. Future examination of the expression and function of a-enolase
in cancers may ultimately result in a-enolase becoming a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for a
range of cancer types.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Contributed to the drafting and editing of this manuscript: Schofield L, Lincz LF, Skelding KA

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
This work was funded by grants from the Calvary Mater Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute.

Conflicts of interest
All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.

Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020.

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