Published online Jun 26, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i12.2448
Peer-review started: February 2, 2020
First decision: April 9, 2020
Revised: May 12, 2020
Accepted: June 3, 2020
Article in press: June 3, 2020
Published online: June 26, 2020
Processing time: 143 Days and 3.7 Hours
Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 7 (CXCR7), recently termed ACKR3, belongs to the G protein-coupled cell surface receptor family, binds to stromal cell-derived factor-1 [SDF-1, or chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12] or chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 11, and is the most common chemokine receptor expressed in a variety of cancer cells. SDF-1 binds to its receptor chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) and regulates cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and migration. In recent years, another new receptor for SDF-1, CXCR7, has been discovered, and CXCR7 has also been found to be expressed in a variety of tumor cells and tumor-related vascular endothelial cells. Many studies have shown that CXCR7 can promote the growth and metastasis of a variety of malignant tumor cells. Unlike CXCR4, CXCR7 exhibits a slight modification in the DRYLAIV motif and does not induce intracellular Ca2+ release following ligand binding, which is essential for recruiting and activating G proteins. CXCR7 is generally thought to work in three ways: (1) Recruiting β-arrestin 2; (2) Heterodimerizing with CXCR4; and (3) Acting as a “scavenger” of SDF-1, thus lowering the level of SDF-1 to weaken the activity of CXCR4. In the present review, the expression and role of CXCR7, as well as its prognosis in cancers of the digestive system, were investigated.
Core tip: Digestive tract tumors are one of the most important tumors in the whole body. As a newly discovered receptor of stromal cell-derived factor-1, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 7 (CXCR7) has attracted increasing attention from researchers. Over the years, studies have found that CXCR7 is expressed in a variety of malignant tumors of the digestive system and plays an important role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of tumors. Many studies have also shown that CXCR7 can serve as a prognostic factor for a variety of tumors and may be a target for the treatment of a variety of tumors. Here, we summarized all the manifestations and functions of CXCR7 in various gastrointestinal tumors and compared the research status of CXCR7 in different types of gastrointestinal tumors.