Current Drug Targets - Volume 15, Issue 4, 2014

Small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional and translational levels. The dysregulated miRNAs are involved in a large variety of diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. MiR-34a is one of the most anti-oncomiRs that is down-regulated in multiple types of cancer. It regulates a wide range of genes and pathways involved in cancer initiation, progression and met Read More

Because of mutation and natural selection, development of drug resistance to the existing antimalarial is the major problem in malaria treatment. This problem has created an urgent need of novel antimalarial drug targets as well as lead compounds. The important characteristic of malaria is that it shows the phenomenon of balanced polymorphisms. Several traits have been selected in response to disease pressure. Therefor Read More

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) is the key enzyme involved in the synthesis of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes (LTs) and has become a prime target for new drug discovery research and development efforts by the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The pathophysiological effects of LTs can be modulated by the selective inhibition of 5-LO. In this review, we summarize the established dogma and recent progress on the biochemi Read More

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), induced by heat shock, environmental and pathophysiological stressors, is a multidimensional protein that acts as a protein chaperone and an antioxidant. This protein plays a major role in the inhibition of apoptosis and actin cytoskeletal remodeling. This stress-activated protein is up-regulated in many cancers and is associated with poor prognosis as well as treatment resistance by protecting ce Read More

Differentiated embryo-chondrocyte expressed gene 1 (DEC1) is associated with chondrogenesis, neurogenesis, immune response, biological rhythm, lipogenesis, cell differentiation and carcinogenesis. However, there is little information about its contribution to osteoblast osteogenesis. In the present study, we report that DEC1 expression increases along with the degree of mineralization, which parallells with the increase o Read More

Atherosclerosis is now widely recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease that involves innate and adaptive immune responses. Both cellular and humoral components of the immune system have been implicated in atherogenesis. Growing evidence suggests that immune cells play crucial roles in atherogenic plaque formation. Vulnerability of the plaque probably plays an important role in rupture. Most ruptures occur at th Read More

Huntington’s disease (HD) is the most common polyglutamine neurodegenerative disorder in humans, and is caused by a mutation of an unstable expansion of CAG repeats within the coding region of the HD gene, which expresses the protein huntingtin. Although abnormal protein is ubiquitously expressed throughout the organism, cell degeneration occurs mainly in the brain, and there, predominantly in the striatum Read More

Monoclonal antibody-based treatments of cancer which serve as magic ‘bullets’ have been established as one of the most successful therapeutic strategies. A variety of antigens has been investigated as targets for the mAb therapy of gastric cancer, including the carbohydrate type 2 blood group antigen. Lewis Y (LeY) is overexpressed on tumor cells surface either as glycoproteins or glycolipids. LeY is difucosylated oligosacc Read More