ABSTRACT
Heterogeneous-nuclear ribonucleoproteins A1 (hnRNP A1) is one of the important members of hnRNPs family. The function of hnRNP A1 is closely related to RNA transcription, mRNA translation, splicing of splicing sites, splicing site selection, pre-RNA maturation and degradation, cell proliferation and transformation. Overexpression of hnRNP A1 in various types of digestive system tumors is associated with poor prognosis and may serve as an early biomarker for cancer. This article reviews the recent advances in the development of hnRNP A1 and characterizes their roles in cellular and gene expression and in the development of human tumors, highlighting that hnRNP A1 is likely to be an important indicator for tumor prognosis and a potential drug target for the treatment.