Hormone Receptors in Cancers: From Molecular Insights to Clinical Applications

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 524

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
Interests: androgen receptors; breast cancer; estrogen receptors; iPSC; receptor signaling pathways; triple-negative breast cancer

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Guest Editor
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Institute for Neurological Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Interests: neurodegenerative disease; neuropharmacology; signaling pathways

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hormone receptors play a critical role in regulating cellular growth, differentiation, and survival in various tissues. In many cancers, including breast, prostate, endometrial, and thyroid malignancies, hormone receptor signaling pathways are frequently dysregulated, contributing to tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy. Estrogen, androgen, progesterone, and other nuclear receptors have been widely studied, yet the complexity of their crosstalk with intracellular pathways and the tumor microenvironment continues to evolve.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances in our understanding of how hormone receptors influence cancer biology. We welcome original research articles and reviews that explore the mechanistic roles of hormone receptors, their interactions with co-regulators, post-translational modifications, and their potential as prognostic markers or therapeutic targets. Studies encompassing in vitro experiments, in vivo investigations using animal models, as they collectively contribute to a comprehensive understanding of receptor-mediated pathways. Submissions addressing emerging receptor types, non-genomic actions, receptor isoforms, and resistance mechanisms to endocrine therapy are particularly encouraged. We hope this Special Issue will provide valuable insights into hormone receptor-driven oncogenesis and support the development of innovative strategies for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

We look forward to your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Edris Choupani
Dr. Kambiz Hassanzadeh
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cancer progression
  • endocrine therapy resistance
  • estrogen and androgen receptors
  • hormone receptors
  • nuclear receptors
  • receptor signaling pathways

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

19 pages, 1500 KB  
Review
Integrin αvβ3 as a Non-Genomic Estrogen Receptor in Breast Cancer for Signaling Pathways and Crosstalk
by Kuan Wang, Zi-Lin Li, Lin-Yi Huang, Chih-Jung Yao, Dana R. Crawford, Chih-Yang Wang, Ju-Ku Mo, Ya-Jung Shih, Hung-Yun Lin and Jacqueline Whang-Peng
Cells 2025, 14(22), 1832; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14221832 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 286
Abstract
Integrin αvβ3, a key member of the integrin family, plays a crucial role in cell localization, mobilization, and signal transduction through collaborating with extracellular proteins. Its unique expression and activation in tumor cells and rapidly dividing endothelial cells suggest its potential role in [...] Read more.
Integrin αvβ3, a key member of the integrin family, plays a crucial role in cell localization, mobilization, and signal transduction through collaborating with extracellular proteins. Its unique expression and activation in tumor cells and rapidly dividing endothelial cells suggest its potential role in cancer cell growth and metastasis, making it a promising therapeutic target. In genomic pathways, estrogen binds to its receptors to form transcription complexes that bind to the promoters of steroid hormone-receptive genes. Conversely, G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) and integrin αvβ3 have been shown to play oles in non-genomic actions that contribute to estrogen-induced cancer growth. The molecular mechanisms of these non-genomic functions involve signal transduction via focal activated kinase (FAK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), as well as the differential expression of multiple genes associated with various cellular processes. As a hormone receptor, integrin αvβ3, collaborating with ER-α and GPER, exhibits a wide range of cellular effects relevant to cancer biology. Full article
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