Emerging roles of protein palmitoylation and its modifying enzymes in cancer cell signal transduction and cancer therapy

Protein palmitoylation is an increasingly investigated form of post-translational lipid modification that affects protein localization, accumulation, secretion and function. Recently, emerging findings have revealed that protein palmitoylation is crucial for many tumor-related signaling pathways, such as EGFR, RAS, PD-1/PD-L1 signaling, affecting the occurrence, progression and therapeutic response of tumors. Protein palmitoylation and its modifying enzymes, including palmitoylases and depalmitoylases, are expected to be new targets for effective tumor treatment. Recognizing the significance of palmitoylation modification on protein stability, localization and downstream signal regulation, this review focuses on the regulatory roles of protein palmitoylation and its modifying enzymes in tumor cell signal transduction, aiming to bring new ideas for effective cancer prevention and treatment.