Inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA1) encoded by PPA1 gene belongs to Soluble
Pyrophosphatases (PPase) family and is expressed widely in various tissues of Homo sapiens, as well as significantly in a variety of
malignancies. The hydrolysis of inorganic
pyrophosphate (PPi) to produce
orthophosphate (Pi) not only dissipates the negative effects of PPi accumulation, but the energy released by this process also serves as a substitute for
ATP. PPA1 is highly expressed in a variety of
tumors and is involved in proliferation, invasion, and
metastasis during
tumor development, through the JNK/p53, Wnt/β-
catenin, and PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathways. Because of its remarkable role in
tumor development, PPA1 may serve as a
biological target for adjuvant
therapy of
tumor malignancies. Further, PPA1 is a potential
biomarker to predict survival in patients with
cancer, where the assessment of its transcriptional regulation can provide an in-depth understanding. Herein, we describe the signaling pathways through which PPA1 regulates malignant
tumor progression and provide new insights to establish PPA1 as a
biomarker for
tumor diagnosis.