Cell cycle and cancer.
Cancer is frequently considered to be a disease of the cell cycle. As such, it is not surprising that the deregulation of the cell cycle is one of the most frequent alterations during tumor development. Cell cycle progression is a highlyordered and tightly-regulated process that involves multiple checkpoints that assess extracellular growth signals, cell size, and DNA integrity. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their cyclin partners are positive regulators or accelerators that induce cell cycle progression; whereas, cyclindependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) that act as brakes to stop cell cycle progression in response to regulatory signals are important negative regulators. Cancer originates from the abnormal expression or activation of positive regulators and functional suppression of negative regulators. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of the deregulation of cell cycle progression in cancer can provide important insights into how normal cells become tumorigenic, as well as how new cancer treatment strategies can be designed.
Park
Moon-Taek
MT
Laboratory of Radiation Effect, Radiological & Medical Research Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul 139-706, Korea.
Lee
Su-Jae
SJ
D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
C493966:CDKN2B protein, human; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases