Noxa and cancer therapy: Tuning up the mitochondrial death machinery in response to chemotherapy.
Biochemical analyses have characterized the BH3-only protein family member Noxa as a "sensitizer" with weak pro-apoptotic activity. Investigations into cancer cell responses to chemotherapeutic agents have identified Noxa as a pivotal factor mediating the cytotoxic effect of a plethora of anticancer treatments independent of its own pro-apoptotic activity. Accumulating evidence now suggests that tumor cells exert a number of strategies to counteract Noxa function by exploiting diverse cellular regulatory circuits that normally govern Noxa expression during cellular stress responses. Here, we summarize data concerning the role of Noxa in cancer chemosensitivity and highlight the potential of this enigmatic BH3-only protein family member in current and novel anticancer therapies.
Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC); Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene (IMMIH); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.
Marie-Christine
MC
Albert
Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC); Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene (IMMIH); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.
Kerstin
K
Brinkmann
Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC); Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene (IMMIH); University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.
Hamid
H
Kashkar
apoptosis; bcl-2; cancer; cell death; noxa; therapy