The role and mechanism of β-arrestins in cancer invasion and metastasis

beta-arrestins are a family of adaptor proteins that regulate the signaling and trafficking of various G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). They consist of beta-arrestin1 and beta-arrestin2 and are considered to be scaffolding proteins. beta-arrestins regulate cell proliferation, promote cell invasion and migration, transmit anti-apoptotic survival signals and affect other characteristics of tumors, including tumor growth rate, angiogenesis, drug resistance, invasion and metastatic potential. It has been demonstrated that beta-arrestins serve roles in various physiological and pathological processes and exhibit a similar function to GPCRs. beta-arrestins serve primary roles in cancer invasion and metastasis via various signaling pathways. The present review assessed the function and mechanism of beta-arrestins in cancer invasion and metastasis via multiple signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal regulated kinase, Wnt/beta-catenin, nuclear factor-kappa B and phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt.