Table 1 A summary of FOXF2 expression, mechanism, function in tumours.

From: FOXF2 acts as a crucial molecule in tumours and embryonic development

Tumour

Expression

Mechanism

Function

Reference

Breast cancer (in mice)

TGF-β/↑FOXF2/↓E-cadherin, ↑Zeb1, ↑Zeb2, ↑Noxa, ↓Id2, ↓miR-200 family, ↓betacellulin, ↓amphiregulin/↑EMT

Promoting apoptosis, migration

37

Breast cancer

–(BLBC)

1. MAZ/↑FOXF2/↓Twist1/EMT↓

2. MAZ/↑FOXF2/-

1. Inhibiting migration

2. Promoting proliferation

61,62

Breast cancer

Upregulation

↑FOXF2/↑BMP/ SMAD pathway, ↑BRGs

Promoting bone metastasis

43

Breast cancer

Upregulation

↓miR-200c/↑FOXF2/↓E-cadherin, ↑Zeb1/↑EMT

Promoting invasion, migration, metastasis

18

Breast Cancer

Upregulation in BLBC

↑FOXF2/↑EMT

Promoting invasion, migration

39

Breast cancer

Downregulation

↑miR-301/↓ FOXF2/↑Wnt5a

Inhibiting proliferation, migration

57

Breast cancer

Downregulation in BLBC

↓FOXF2/↑Twist1/↑ EMT

Inhibiting metastasis

91,61

Breast cancer

Downregulation in BLBC

↓FOXF2/↑FOXC2/↑EMT

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, metastasis

19

Breast cancer

Downregulation in BLBC

↓SP1/↓FOXF2

Inhibiting proliferation

56

Breast cancer

Downregulation in BLBC

↓FOXF2/↑VEGFR3

Inhibiting lymphatic metastasis

44

Breast cancer

Downregulation in luminal-type and HER2-positive breast cancer

↓FOXF2/↑CDK2-RB-E2F cascade

Inhibiting proliferation

39

Lung cancer

Downregulation in NSCLC

Inhibiting cancer progression

20

Lung cancer

Upregulation

↑FOXF2/↓E-cadherin, ↓miR-200/↑EMT

Promoting, invasion, migration, metastasis

22

CRC

Downregulation

↑miR-130a, ↑miR-182/↓FOXF2/↑β-catenin

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

27,28

CRC

Downregulation

↑LSD1/↓FOXF2/↑EMT

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

29

HCC

Downregulation

↑miR-519a/↓FOXF2/↑E-Cadherin, ↓ vimentin/↓EMT

Inhibiting proliferation, colonization, metastasis, promoting invasion, migration

23,25

PC

Downregulation

↑miR-182-5p/↓FOXF2/↑MMP1, ↓TIMP3/↓ECM

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

31,32

ESCC

Downregulation

DNA promoter methylation/↓FOXF2

Inhibiting cancer progression

68,69

Cervical cancer

Downregulation

↓FOXF2/↑β-catenin/↑EMT

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

42

OC

downregulation

↓ADAMTS9-AS2/↑miR-182-5p/↓FOXF2/↑EMT

inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

34

GC

Downregulation

DNA promoter methylation/↓FOXF2/↓E3 ligase IRF2BPL /↑Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Inhibiting proliferation, invasion, migration

33

Intestinal Adenomas (in mice)

Downregulation

↓FOXF2/↓SFRP1/↑Wnt

Inhibiting formation and growth

40,41

RMS (in mice)

Upregulation

↑FOXF2/↓p21

Promoting proliferation

35

  1. ”↑” means upregulation,”↓” means downregulation; EMT epithelial–mesenchymal transition, SFRP1 secreted frizzled related protein 1, Zeb1 zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1, MAZ Myc-associated zinc finger protein, BLBC basal-like breast cancer, BRGs bone-related genes, LSD1 lysine-specific demethylase 1, Wnt5a wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5a, TNBC triple-negative breast cancer, VEGFR3 vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3, Id2 inhibitor of differentiation 2, NSCLC non-small cell lung cancer, HCC hepatocellular carcinoma, PC prostate cancer, MMP1 matrix metalloproteinase 1, RB retinoblastoma tumour suppressor protein, TIMP3 tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3, ECM extracellular matrix, ESCC esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, OC ovarian cancer, IRF2BPL interferon regulatory factor 2-binding protein-like, RMS rhabdomyosarcoma.