PLXNA1

Overview

PLXNA1 encodes plexin-A1, a receptor for class-3 semaphorins (including SEMA3A and SEMA3E) involved in axon guidance signaling. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PLXNA1 is amplified and/or overexpressed and functions as an independent prognostic factor for poor survival, linking axon guidance pathway dysregulation to cancer biology.

Alterations observed in the corpus

  • Amplification and/or overexpression in pancreatic cancer WES of 142 ICGC tumors; PLXNA1 is an independent poor prognostic factor in resected PDAC PMID:23103869
  • Single-tumor somatic mutation in axon-guidance pathway in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) WGS cohort (n=25) PMID:26862087

Cancer types (linked)

  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PAAD): amplified/overexpressed; high expression is an independent predictor of poor survival in resected tumors PMID:23103869

Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity

  • Co-amplified with SEMA3A and SEMA3E in the SLIT-ROBO axon guidance pathway context in pancreatic cancer PMID:23103869

Therapeutic relevance

  • Therapeutics targeting axon guidance molecules represent unexplored candidates for cancer treatment; PLXNA1 overexpression may identify a patient subgroup with poor prognosis PMID:23103869

Open questions

  • Functional validation of PLXNA1 as a true driver (versus passenger) alteration in pancreatic cancer is incomplete; Sleeping Beauty transposon screen data are supportive but not definitive PMID:23103869

Sources

This page was processed by entity-page-writer on 2026-05-07. - PMID:26862087

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