Current Cancer Drug Targets - Volume 7, Issue 4, 2007

Cancer development is recognized as a multi-stage phenomenon consisting of initiation, promotion and progression stages. The rate-limiting steps in multistage carcinogenesis are now thought to reside during the period of tumor promotion and progression. Exposure to tumor promoters results in activation of transcription factors, and regulation of their target genes through signal transduction pathways, which have been Read More

The PI3K/Akt signalling pathway and its downstream transcription factors have been intensively studied for their role in cell proliferation, survival, cycle control, as well as other cellular functions. There is growing evidence showing that dysregulation of this pathway also plays an essential role in cancer development. The overexpression or permanent activation of RTKs and GPCRs, as well as the exposure to environmental carcino Read More

The transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. AP-1 activity is increased in multiple human tumor types. Inhibitors of AP-1 have been shown to block tumor promotion, transformation, progression and invasion. Chronic inflammation and tumor development are linked. AP-1 may act, in part, by perpetuating the inflammatory signal. AP-1 is a recognized molecular target of many Read More

Prolonged and repeated exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light (UV) leads not only to aging of the skin but also increases the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Damage of cells induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) light both at the DNA level and molecular level initiates the activation of transcription factor pathways, which in turn regulate the expression of a number of genes termed the “UV response genes Read More

Ionizing radiation (IR) plays a key role in both areas of carcinogenesis and anticancer radiotherapy. The ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) protein, a sensor to IR and other DNA-damaging agents, activates a wide variety of effectors involved in multiple signaling pathways, cell cycle checkpoints, DNA repair and apoptosis. Accumulated evidence also indicates that the transcription factor NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappaB) Read More

The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) family proteins are transcription factors that regulate the expression of a variety of target genes with or without forming complexes with other transcription factors. Although NFAT proteins have been extensively investigated and characterized in immune systems, their role in carcinogenesis are far from being understood. We, to our knowledge, are first to determine the potential i Read More

With increasing incidence of cancer at most of the sites, and growing economic burden and associated psychological and emotional trauma, it is becoming clearer that more efforts are needed for cancer cure. Since most of the chemotherapeutic drugs are non-selective because they are also toxic to the normal cells, new and improved strategies are needed that selectively target the killing of cancer cells. Since aberrant a Read More

The 90 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp90) are proving to be an excellent target for the development of novel anticancer agents designed to selectively block the growth and proliferation of tumor cells. Since Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone and is responsible for folding numerous oncogenic proteins, its inhibition represents a novel approach toward the simultaneous disruption of multiple signaling cascades. This re Read More

The development and progression of cancer is marked by the acquisition of specific genetic hallmarks that endow tumour cells with a survival advantage over their normal tissue counterparts. In the process, tumours frequently develop resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and acquire the ability to evade the host immune response. Cancer gene therapy (CGT) represents an ideal therapeutic tool to target one or Read More