Abstract. Breast cancer (BC) is among the most prevalent type of malignancy affecting females worldwide. BC is classified into
different types according to the status of the expression of receptors such as estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth
factor receptor 2 (HER2), and progesterone receptor (PR). Androgen receptor (AR) appears to be a promising therapeutic target
of breast cancer. Binding of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to AR controls the expression of microRNA (miRNA) molecules in
BC, consequently, affecting protein expression. One of these proteins is the transmembrane glycoprotein cluster of differentiation
44 (CD44). Remarkably, CD44 is a common marker of cancer stem cells in BC. It functions as a co-receptor for a broad diversity
of extracellular matrix ligands. Several ligands, primarily hyaluronic acid, can interact with CD44 and mediate its functions.
CD44 promotes a variety of functions independently or in cooperation with other cell-surface receptors through activation of
varied signaling pathways like Rho GTPases, Ras-MAPK, and PI3K/AKT pathways to regulate cell adhesion, migration, survival,
invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. In this review, we present the relations between AR, miRNA, and CD44 and
their roles in BC.

Title

Nihad Al-Othman

Publisher

An-Najah National University

Publisher Country

Palestine

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

1.6

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

38

Year

2020

Pages

13