Cellular Signaling Pathways Involved In Cervical Carcinogenesis

Abstract

Introduction: Human papillomavirus is considered a key factor in the development of uterine cervical lesions. However, infection per se is not enough to develop all carcinogenic events, so that these could be regulated by cell signaling pathways. The signals transmitted into the cell are produced through signaling cascades, which involve numerous proteins that gain and, or lose their biological activity, thus regulating the metabolism, transcription and translation of genes.
Objective: To provide updated information on TLRs, Wnt/ ß-catenin and PI3K / Akt signaling pathways involved in cervical carcinogenesis.
Methods: A review of specialized literature was carried out through original articles and reviews published in PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO databases and NCBI websites, in Spanish and English languages.
Results: TLR pathway was found to play a key role in the fight against viruses, bacteria and other infections, as well as having antitumor immune activity. The Wnt/ ß-catenin pathway participates in several biological processes such as cell differentiation, migration and adhesion, while PI3K / Akt is related to cell growth, motility and survival.
Conclusions: The activation or deregulation of some components of these pathways are involved in uncontrolled proliferation of tumor cells, an important event in cervical carcinogenesis.