The Roles and Regulation of RECK in Cell Behavior, Animal Development, and Diseases

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1027

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

RECK was first discovered as a transformation suppressor gene by cDNA expression screening. Subsequent studies indicate that RECK downregulation is widely found in human cancer and is causally involved in carcinogenesis. RECK was also found to be involved in multiple events during mammalian embryogenesis. Moreover, recent studies indicate the involvement of RECK in several diseases other than cancer. RECK encodes a relatively large (~125 kDa), extracellular, membrane-anchored glycoprotein with two distinct molecular functions: (1) matrix metalloproteases regulator and (2) a ligand-binding component of the WNT7 receptor. We still do not know, however, whether all the RECK biological activities discovered so far are attributable to these two molecular functions. We believe it is important to continue to collect more information on the molecular properties of the RECK protein, the mechanisms regulating its expression and activities, the mechanisms by which RECK regulates gene expression and cellular behavior, the mechanisms by which RECK affects animal development, and the mechanisms by which RECK affects various diseases. We expect that such studies focusing on this unique, interesting, and still mysterious macromolecule will bring us fresh insights and breakthroughs in biology and medicine.   

Prof. Dr. Makoto Noda
Prof. Dr. David B. Alexander
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cancer
  • metastasis
  • cell migration
  • angiogenesis
  • neurogenesis
  • extracellular matrix
  • disease models

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

60 pages, 5606 KB  
Review
The Roles of the Membrane-Anchored Glycoprotein RECK in Animal Development, Tumor Suppression, and Beyond
by Makoto Noda, David Alexander and Tomoko Matsuzaki
Life 2026, 16(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16010104 - 11 Jan 2026
Viewed by 832
Abstract
RECK was first reported as a transformation suppressor gene in 1998 and gradually gained attention as evidence indicating its reduced expression in a wide variety of human cancers accumulated. RECK encodes a membrane-anchored glycoprotein exhibiting protease inhibitor activity against matrix metalloproteases. Restored expression [...] Read more.
RECK was first reported as a transformation suppressor gene in 1998 and gradually gained attention as evidence indicating its reduced expression in a wide variety of human cancers accumulated. RECK encodes a membrane-anchored glycoprotein exhibiting protease inhibitor activity against matrix metalloproteases. Restored expression of RECK in cancer xenograft models suggests it suppresses tumor growth and/or metastasis. RECK was also found to be essential for mammalian embryogenesis, especially in the maintenance of tissue integrity as well as the development of neural and vascular systems. Due to its functional versatility during animal development, we only recently began to obtain formal experimental evidence that RECK is a bona fide tumor suppressor. In the meantime, mechanisms by which RECK expression is reduced in cancer cells have been explored. Various stimuli that alter RECK expression have also been described. Furthermore, recent findings in the clinic as well as in animal studies indicate the involvement of RECK in disorders other than cancer. The aim of this article is to summarize our current knowledge of RECK and assist future efforts to understand its nature and functions and to develop useful applications. Full article
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