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Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in hematological malignancies

Leukemia volume 23, pages 467–476 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a key mechanism to control tissue homeostasis, for example, in the hematopoietic system. Thus, resistance to apoptosis can contribute to the development of leukemia or lymphoma. Inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) proteins block cell death pathways at a central node by interfering with the activation of effector caspases. As increased expression levels of IAPs are found in hematological malignancies and have been correlated with poor prognosis, IAPs could be exploited as therapeutic targets and prognostic markers. Various strategies have been developed to target IAPs for therapeutic purposes in leukemia and lymphoma cells, including small-molecule inhibitors and antisense oligonucleotides. These agents could directly induce apoptosis in malignant cells or sensitize these cells to other cytotoxic agents. Thus, IAPs present promising targets for the development of new biomarkers and cancer therapeutics in hematological malignancies.

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Acknowledgements

Work in my laboratory is supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Deutsche Krebshilfe, the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, Wilhelm-Sander-Stiftung, Else-Kröner Stiftung, the European Community (Apotrain, Apo-Sys), DAAD/INCA and IAP6/18.

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    S Fulda

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Fulda, S. Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in hematological malignancies. Leukemia 23, 467–476 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2008.329

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