title: Proteasome: an emerging target for cancer therapy.
abstract: Proteasome inhibitors represent novel anti-cancer drugs which interact with the proteasome-ubiquitin pathway. The 26S proteasome is a multicatalytic threonine protease with three distinct catalytic activities. It is responsible for intracellular protein turnover in eukaryotic cells, including the processing and degradation of short- and some long-living proteins required for regulation of various cellular functions. Subsequently, the inhibition of the proteasomal function results in stabilization and accumulation of its substrates, which notably include cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, transcriptional factors, tumor suppressor proteins and proto-oncogenes. This results in confounding signals in the cell inducing cell cycle arrest and activation of apoptotic programs. Acting on transcriptional factor NF-kappaB, which is upregulated in some tumors undergoing chemotherapy or irradiation and downregulated by proteasome inhibition, a significant chemosensitization and consequently synergistic effects concerning the anti-tumor activity could be achieved. Bortezomib is the first proteasome inhibitor that has entered clinical trials. In multiple myeloma, both the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicine Evaluation Agency granted approval for the use of bortezomib (Velcade) for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have received at least two prior therapies and have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. At present, other trials examine the activity in a variety of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. This paper reviews preclinical and clinical results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Charité, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zavrski
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jakob
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krebbel
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fleissner
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosche
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Possinger
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sezer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001897:Boronic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069286:Bortezomib; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D061988:Proteasome Inhibitors; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001897:Boronic Acids; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D061988:Proteasome Inhibitors; D011719:Pyrazines; D000069286:Bortezomib; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; C061553:ATP dependent 26S protease