Stk32a, encoding a serine/threonine kinase, is involved in multiple biological processes. In the developing mouse inner ear, it plays a role in regulating hair cell planar polarity, opposing the function of EMX2. Stk32a is expressed in hair cells on one side of the line of polarity reversal (LPR), complementary to Emx2 expression, and is necessary for aligning the intrinsic polarity of the bundle with core planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins in EMX2-negative regions [1].

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the microRNA-130a-5p/RUNX2/Stk32A network affects tumor invasive and metastatic potential. miR-130a-5p directly targets RUNX2, which then interacts with Stk32a to promote its expression. Stk32a supports NSCLC cell growth and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation [2]. Additionally, tobacco smoking may influence the methylation of Stk32a, which could be related to lung cancer development [3]. In gastric cancer, Stk32a is a key target gene associated with immune infiltration, and its related circRNA, hsa_circ_0005927, is involved in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer [4]. In lung adenocarcinoma, Stk32a is among the genes related to overall survival status and is part of prognostic models based on hypoxia, ferroptosis-related genes, and pyroptosis-related genes [6,7,9]. In chicken, Stk32a impacts comb growth as shown by transcriptome analysis of cocks with different comb sizes [8]. Also, in rat hippocampal neurons, Stk32a is a novel potential candidate gene regulated by Wnt/β-catenin signaling [5].

In conclusion, Stk32a is involved in diverse biological processes such as inner ear development, cell growth, and immune-related functions in various tissues. Mouse models have been crucial in uncovering its role in inner ear hair cell polarity. In disease areas, especially lung cancer and gastric cancer, studies on Stk32a provide insights into tumor-related mechanisms, highlighting its potential as a target for cancer treatment strategies.

References:

1. Jia, Shihai, Ratzan, Evan M, Goodrich, Ellison J, Tarchini, Basile, Deans, Michael R. 2023. The dark kinase STK32A regulates hair cell planar polarity opposite of EMX2 in the developing mouse inner ear. In eLife, 12, . doi:10.7554/eLife.84910. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37144879/

2. Ma, Fang, Xie, Yangchun, Lei, Yiyu, Kuang, Zengshuyu, Liu, Xianling. 2020. The microRNA-130a-5p/RUNX2/STK32A network modulates tumor invasive and metastatic potential in non-small cell lung cancer. In BMC cancer, 20, 580. doi:10.1186/s12885-020-07056-0. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32571328/

3. Gao, Xu, Zhang, Yan, Breitling, Lutz Philipp, Brenner, Hermann. . Tobacco smoking and methylation of genes related to lung cancer development. In Oncotarget, 7, 59017-59028. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.10007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27323854/

4. Shao, Yongfu, Yu, Xuan, Hu, Meng, Ye, Guoliang, Guo, Junming. 2024. Acting mechanism and clinical significance of hsa_circ_0005927 in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer. In Journal of Cancer, 15, 4081-4094. doi:10.7150/jca.96749. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38947400/

5. Pérez-Palma, Eduardo, Andrade, Víctor, Caracci, Mario O, Ugarte, Giorgia D, De Ferrari, Giancarlo V. 2016. Early Transcriptional Changes Induced by Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Hippocampal Neurons. In Neural plasticity, 2016, 4672841. doi:10.1155/2016/4672841. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28116168/

6. Li, Tingting, Liu, Huanqing, Dong, Chunsheng, Lyu, Jun. 2022. Application of miRNA Biomarkers in Predicting Overall Survival Outcomes for Lung Adenocarcinoma. In BioMed research international, 2022, 5249576. doi:10.1155/2022/5249576. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36147635/

7. Liu, Chang, Ruan, Yan-Qin, Qu, Lai-Hao, Li, Hao-Fei, Li, Ding-Biao. 2022. Prognostic Modeling of Lung Adenocarcinoma Based on Hypoxia and Ferroptosis-Related Genes. In Journal of oncology, 2022, 1022580. doi:10.1155/2022/1022580. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36245988/

8. Liu, Yifan, Tu, Yunjie, Zhang, Ming, Shu, Jingting, Zou, Jianmin. 2018. Identification of molecular pathways and candidate genes associated with cocks' comb size trait by genome-wide transcriptome analysis. In Scientific reports, 8, 2015. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20373-6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29386544/

9. Wen, Ziang, Pei, Bei, Dai, Longfei, Zhang, Chengxin, Ge, Shenglin. 2023. Risk factors analysis and survival prediction model establishment of patients with lung adenocarcinoma based on different pyroptosis-related gene subtypes. In European journal of medical research, 28, 601. doi:10.1186/s40001-023-01581-x. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38111060/