ALDH1A3

ALDH1A3, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member A3, alias ALDH1A3, is an enzyme encoded by the ALDH1A3 gene in the human body, which is mainly involved in the metabolic process of retinaldehyde, oxidizing retinaldehyde to retinoic acid, a process that is essential for maintaining intracellular retinoic acid homeostasis and regulating cell differentiation.ALDH1A3 is expressed in a wide range of tissues, and its aberrant expression is particularly high in stem cells and tumor stem cells, and its aberrant expression has been associated with the development of a variety of tumors, including glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, etc. The mechanism of action of ALDH1A3 involves its catalytic activity, which converts retinaldehyde to retinoic acid and affects cell proliferation and differentiation. In addition, ALDH1A3 may be involved in regulating other intracellular signaling pathways, such as the JAK/STAT3 pathway, which affects the invasive ability of tumor cells. In tumor stem cells, high expression of ALDH1A3 is closely related to tumor self-renewal, multidirectional differentiation potential and tumor initiation ability, and it is a key molecule in maintaining tumor stem cell properties.

The biological significance of ALDH1A3 is mainly reflected in its role in regulating tumor stem cell properties. It has been found that the expression level of ALDH1A3 is associated with tumor invasiveness, metastatic ability, and resistance to treatment. For example, in glioblastoma stem cells, high expression of ALDH1A3 was associated with tumor self-renewal and tumorigenicity; in pancreatic cancer, elevated expression levels of ALDH1A3 were associated with enhanced tumor invasiveness. Therefore, ALDH1A3 is considered a potential target for tumor therapy, and interventions against its activity or expression level may provide new strategies for tumor treatment.