WAVEs: a novel and promising weapon in the cancer therapy tool box.

The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein family Verprolin--homologous proteins (WAVEs), encoded by a metastasis promoter gene, play considerable roles in adhesion of immune cells, cell proliferation, migration and destruction of foreign agents by reactive oxygen species. These diverse functions have lead to the hypothesis that WAVE proteins have multi-functional roles in regulating cancer invasiveness, metastasis, development of tumor vasculature and angiogenesis. Differentials in expression of WAVE proteins are associated with a number of neoplasms include colorectal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, lung squamous cell carcinoma, human breast adenocarcinoma and prostate cancer. In this review we attempt to unify our knowledge regarding WAVE proteins, focusing on their potentials as diagnostic markers and molecular targets for cancer therapy.