title: Class III β-tubulin (TUBB3): more than a biomarker in solid tumors?
abstract: Class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) is a prominent mechanism of drug resistance expressed in a variety of solid tumors and particularly in lung and ovarian cancer. In the classical view, TUBB3 expression and drug resistance have been linked, and together they have been associated with a perturbation in microtubule dynamics. In keeping with this observation, TUBB3 was associated with drug resistance only when chemotherapy included a taxane in its chemical composition. In this review, we demonstrate that the classical supposition about TUBB3 is not correct, and that instead TUBB3 expression is linked to drug resistance as a complex survival mechanism activated by microenvironmental conditions such as poor nutrient supply and hypoxia.
authors: Laboratory of Antineoplastic Pharmacology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mariani
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Shahabi
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Sieber
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Scambia
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Ferlini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000235:genetics; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D014404:Tubulin