NUCLEOSIDE DIPHOSPHATE KINASE (NM23) EXPRESSION IN TUMORAL INVASION

The nm23-H1 gene encoding the nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) kinase A has been proposed as a tumor metastasis supressor. Two important features emerge from published data: 1) an inverse correlation between the metastatic invasion and the level of NDP kinase/Nm23 was observed in melanomas, hepatocellular carcinomas and, in some studies, on breast carcinomas; 2) an overexpression of NDP kinase/Nm23 was observed in several solid tumors as compared to normal surrounding tissues, positively correlated with aggressiveness in the case of neuroblastomas. The level of NDP kinase/Nm23 in tumours appears to be altered in different ways, related or not to the metastatic potential, depending on the tissue of origin. Its evaluation as a prognostic or diagnostic marker of tumor invasion and aggressiveness deserves further study.