SDCBP

Melanoma differentiation associated gene-9 (mda-9), also known as Syntenin-1 or Syndecan Binding Protein (SDCBP) or Pro-TGF-α Cytoplasmic Domain-Interacting Protein. Structurally, MDA-9/Syntenin has four domains, i.e., N-terminal or NTD (1-109 aa), two tandem PDZ domains, PDZ1 and PDZ2 (amino acid 110-193 and amino acid 194-273, respectively) and a short carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). Biologically, the function of PDZ domains are better described as compared to the roles of the NTD and CTD domains with respect to cancer metastasis^[1]. Preferential elevated expression of mda-9/Syntenin is evident in histologically distinct tumors and contributes to several steps in the metastatic process. These include tumor cell invasion and migration, induction of angiogenesis through secretion of proangiogenic factors, enhancement of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), regulation of the expression of integrins affecting cell-adhesion processes, exosome biogenesis and exosome-mediated signaling in cell–cell communication, and recently immune-modulation suppressing host-immune surveillance^[2].