Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Semaphorin

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Cancer

  • 72 Accesses

Synonyms

Collapsin; Growth guidance cues; Neuropilin ligands; Plexin ligands; SEMA

Definition

The semaphorins (abbreviated SEMA) constitute a family of genes encoding secreted and membrane-associated proteins which share a common domain called the sema domain.

The name semaphorin is derived from the Greek words “sema” meaning “signal” and “phor” which means “to carry.” This name was given to semaphorins owing to the function of the first semaphorins as guidance cues for axonal growth cones.

Characteristics

Subclasses

To date, the semaphorin family comprises 21 different members in vertebrates, 5 different members in invertebrates, and 2 virus-encoded members. All semaphorins contain an approximately 500 amino acid extracellular sema domain and a class-specific carboxy terminus that may encompass additional sequence motifs. At present, the known semaphorins are divided among 8 subclasses based on these structural features and phylogenetic analysis. The characteristics of individual...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Cagnoni G, Tamagnone L (2014) Semaphorin receptors meet receptor tyrosine kinases on the way of tumor progression. Oncogene 33(40):4795–4802

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Casazza A et al (2010) Sema3E-Plexin D1 signaling drives human cancer cell invasiveness and metastatic spreading in mice. J Clin Invest 120:2684–2698

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hung RJ et al (2010) Mical links semaphorins to F-actin disassembly. Nature 463(7282):823–827

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kumanogoh A, Kikutani H (2013) Immunological functions of the neuropilins and plexins as receptors for semaphorins. Nat Rev Immunol 13(11):802–814

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Love CA et al (2003) The ligand-binding face of the semaphorins revealed by the high-resolution crystal structure of SEMA4D. Nat Struct Biol 10:843–848

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luchino J et al (2013) Semaphorin 3E suppresses tumor cell death triggered by the plexin D1 dependence receptor in metastatic breast cancers. Cancer Cell 24(5):673–685

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nasarre P, Gemmill RM, Drabkin HA (2014) The emerging role of class-3 semaphorins and their neuropilin receptors in oncology. Onco Targets Ther 7:1663–1687

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neufeld G, Kessler O (2008) The semaphorins: versatile regulators of tumor progression and tumor angiogenesis. Nat Rev Cancer 8(8):632–645

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Semaphorin Nomenclature Committee (1999) Unified nomenclature for the semaphorin/collapsins. Cell 97:551–552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamagnone L (2012) Emerging role of semaphorins as major regulatory signals and potential therapeutic targets in cancer. Cancer Cell 22(2):145–152

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Worzfeld T, Offermanns S (2014) Semaphorins and plexins as therapeutic targets. Nat Rev Drug Discov 13(8):603–621

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

See Also

  • (2012) Adult T-cell leukemia. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 100. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_126

    Google Scholar 

  • (2012) Autocrine signaling. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 311. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_470

    Google Scholar 

  • (2012) Colorectal cancer. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 916. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_1265

    Google Scholar 

  • (2012) Cytokine. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 1051. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_1473

    Google Scholar 

  • (2012) β Propeller. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of cancer, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, p 3005. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_4771

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cancer Genetics, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Claus Christensen

  2. Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10060, Candiolo, Italy

    Luca Tamagnone

  3. Candiolo Cancer Center-IRCCS, University of Turin, 10060, Candiolo, Italy

    Luca Tamagnone

Authors
  1. Claus Christensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Luca Tamagnone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claus Christensen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this entry

Cite this entry

Christensen, C., Tamagnone, L. (2015). Semaphorin. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_5232-13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_5232-13

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation