The roles of carbonic anhydrases IX and XII in cancer cell adhesion, migration, invasion and metastasis

Abstract The main function of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in cancer cells is the pH regulation through a conversion of H 2 O and CO 2 to H + and HCO 3 − . However, the data of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that transmembrane isoforms of CA IX and CA XII are involved in various steps of cancer cell migration, invasion and metastasis. According to literature, inhibition of these CAs can affect the expression of multiple proteins. Some scientific groups have reported the possible interactions between CA IX and E‐cadherin–catenin system, CA IX and integrins, CA IX, CA XII and ion transporters, which all are highly involved in cell‐to‐cell adhesion, the formation of membrane protrusions and focal adhesions. Nevertheless, CA IX and CA XII have a high impact on tumour growth and metastases formation. The data discussed in this review are quite recent. It highly support the role of CA IX and CA XII in various cancer metastasis processes through their interactions to other invasion proteins. Nevertheless, all findings show the great potential of these CAs in the context of research and application in clinical use.