Current Cancer Drug Targets - Volume 11, Issue 5, 2011

PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene localized to human chromosome 10q23.31, a genomic region frequently lost in glioblastoma and prostate cancer. The fact that PTEN encodes a lipid phosphatase with specificity towards phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate renders it a gate-keeper of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. Numerous physiological processes have been ascribed to this evolutionarily conserved molecule i Read More

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a critical enzyme implicated in chronic inflammation-associated cancer development. Our studies have shown that the exposure of Beas-2B cells, a human bronchial epithelial cell line, to lung carcinogenic nickel compounds results in increased COX-2 expression. However, the signaling pathways leading to nickel-induced COX-2 expression are not well understood. In the current study, we found tha Read More

It is strongly established by numerous studies that oxidative stress-induced inflammation is one of the major causative agents in a variety of cancers. Various factors such as bacterial, viral, parasitic infections, chemical irritants, carcinogens are involved in the initiation of oxidative stress-mediated inflammation. Chronic and persistent inflammation promotes the formation of cancerous tumors. Recent investigations strong Read More

An innovative approach for cancer therapy implies the use of drugs covalently conjugated to macromolecular carriers that specifically target molecules over-expressed on tumor cells. This drug delivery strategy may allow a controlled release of the drug and a high targeting selectivity on tumor cells, increasing drug cytotoxicity and decreasing its undesirable side effects. We provide in vitro and in vivo preclinical data on th Read More

The Serine/Threonine protein kinase B (PKB), which is now called Akt, has well-documented oncogenic potential and pro-survival activities that can counteract apoptosis induced by anti-cancer drugs. The goal of this review is to discuss current evidence that the pro-survival function of Akt can be overridden or converted to a pro-apoptotic function. A brief description of how upstream regulators and downstream effectors of the Read More

The centrosome plays an essential role in cell cycle progression and cell polarity, organizing the microtubule network in interphase and mitosis. During cell division, the centrosome undergoes a series of structural and functional transitions and forms the two poles of the bipolar mitotic spindle. It is the microtubule cytoskeleton that is reorganized to form the two poles, ensuring accurate separation of the two daughter c Read More

The success of current treatment strategies is limited by the development of therapy resistance as evidenced by recurrence of the primary tumor or distant metastasis. Eradication of primary and metastatic disease requires interventions at both the cancer cell and tumor microenvironment levels. In this review, we will discuss mechanisms that are intrinsic to cancer cells, and those that are mediated by the tumor microenvir Read More

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, plays a central role in the process of tumor growth and metastasis. The proliferation of endothelium and formation of new blood vessels further the size of solid tumors. It is expected that blocking angiogenesis will be an efficient therapeutic approach against many tumor types. The key signaling system that regulates proliferation and migration of endoth Read More

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand activated basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that binds to environmental poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mediates their toxic and carcinogenic responses. There is ample documentation for the role of AhR in PAH-induced carcinogenicity. However, in this report we addressed whether overexpression of AhR alone is sufficient to induce carcinogenic transfor Read More