In functional assays performed with RNA knockdown, loss of STEAP3 attenuated aggressive phenotypes in glioma cells, including cell proliferation, invasion, and sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo.
In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), lower expression of the STEAP3 copper reductase and heavy Cu isotope enrichment have been reported for the tumor mass, relative to the surrounding tissue.
Although it was not suggested that the TP53/TSAP6 pathway regulates the release of exosomes into the plasma of colorectal cancer patients, the level of circulating exosomes may be used as a tumor indicator, because it correlates with poor prognosis parameters and shorter survival.
The impact of STEAP3 expression was analyzed about the amount of iron storage, the survival under hypoferric conditions in vitro and the growth of tumor in vivo.