The sodium hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1)

Na + /H + exchanger isoform one (NHE1) is a plasma membrane protein that extrudes intracellular H + (protons) regulating intracellular pH and imports Na + in an equimolecular basis. The ubiquitous NHE1 is a housekeeping protein that has several important physiological activities but also plays a fundamental role in cancer. It is the earliest protein to be overexpressed in the creation of a high intracellular pH at the very beginning of malignant transformation and then on, in keeping an alkaline intracellular milieu that favors proliferation. It is under the influence of growth factors, voltage channels and many other proteins that participate in the malignant phenotype. NHE1 can be partially inhibited with existing drugs with no toxicity to normal cells. Its inhibition showed decreased proliferation, migration and invasion. Therefore, it is a valid target for cancer treatment.