Suprabasin—a review

Abstract

Among the ~22,000 human genes, very few remain that have unknown functions. One such example is suprabasin (SBSN). Originally described as a component of the cornified envelope, the function of stratified epithelia-expressed SBSN is unknown. Both the lack of knowledge about the gene role under physiological conditions and the emerging link of SBSN to various human diseases, including cancer, attract research interest. The association of SBSN expression with poor prognosis of patients suffering from oesophageal carcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, and myelodysplastic syndromes suggests that SBSN may play a role in human tumourigenesis. Three SBSN isoforms code for the secreted proteins with putative function as signalling molecules, yet with poorly described effects. In this first review about SBSN, we summarised the current knowledge accumulated since its original description, and we discuss the potential mechanisms and roles of SBSN in both physiology and pathology.