title: Pim kinases in hematological malignancies: where are we now and where are we going?
abstract: The proviral insertion in murine (PIM) lymphoma proteins are a serine/threonine kinase family composed of three isoformes: Pim-1, Pim-2 and Pim-3. They play a critical role in the control of cell proliferation, survival, homing and migration. Recently, overexpression of Pim kinases has been reported in human tumors, mainly in hematologic malignancies. In vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed their oncogenic potential. Indeed, PIM kinases have shown to be involved in tumorgenesis, to enhance tumor growth and to induce chemo-resistance, which is why they have become an attractive therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Novel molecules inhibiting Pim kinases have been evaluated in preclinical studies, demonstrating to be effective and with a favorable toxicity profile. Given the promising results, some of these compounds are currently under investigation in clinical trials. Herein, we provide an overview of the biological activity of PIM-kinases, their role in hematologic malignancies and future therapeutic opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy. patriziamondello@hotmail.it.|Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. patriziamondello@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mondello
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. salvator@unime.it.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cuzzocrea
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hospital S. Maurizio, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy. m.mian@webmaxxi.eu.|Department of Internal Medicine V, Hematology & Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. m.mian@webmaxxi.eu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051573:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D051573:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1; C406031:proto-oncogene proteins pim