LPA (lysophosphatidic acid, 1-acyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphate), is a growth
factor-like lipid mediator that regulates many cellular functions, many of which are
unique to malignantly transformed cells. The simple chemical structure of LPA and
its profound effects in cancer cells has attracted the attention of the cancer therapeutics
field and drives the development of therapeutics based on the LPA scaffold. In biological
fluids, LPA is generated by ATX (autotaxin), a lysophospholipase D that cleaves the
choline/serine headgroup from lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylserine to
generate LPA. In the present article, we review some of the key findings that make
the ATX-LPA signalling axis an emerging target for cancer therapy.
