Role of angiogenin-like proteins in tumorigenesis and development

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs), a class of secreted glycoproteins with a similar structure to angiopoietin, play a pivotal role in solid tumors invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and apoptosis. As the prominent feature of the tumor microenvironment, hypoxia affects tumor progression and therapeutic effect through mediating multiple biological processes. Some ANGPTLs can act as downstream target genes of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 to regulate tumor physiological functions. Therefore, elucidating the effect and mechanism of ANGPTLs in tumor is of essential significance for improving the tumor cure rate and prognosis. In this article, a brief outline of the biological characteristics of the ANGPTLs family and their possible roles in tumorigenesis, development and hypoxic microenviroment is presented.