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Is NF-κB a good target for cancer therapy? Hopes and pitfalls

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 8, pages 33–40 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcription factors have a key role in many physiological processes such as innate and adaptive immune responses, cell proliferation, cell death, and inflammation. It has become clear that aberrant regulation of NF-κB and the signalling pathways that control its activity are involved in cancer development and progression, as well as in resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This article discusses recent evidence from cancer genetics and cancer genome studies that support the involvement of NF-κB in human cancer, particularly in multiple myeloma. The therapeutic potential and benefit of targeting NF-κB in cancer, and the possible complications and pitfalls of such an approach, are explored.

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Figure 1: NF-κB target genes involved in cancer development and progression.
Figure 2: NF-κB gain- and loss-of-function mutations in multiple myeloma.
Figure 3: IAPs and IAP antagonists in the regulation of NF-κB and cell death pathways.

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Acknowledgements

Our apologies to colleagues whose important contributions are not cited owing to space constraints. Many thanks to H. Authier and A. Moore for invaluable technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Association for Cancer Research (to M.K.), and L'Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer, Belgian InterUniversity Attraction Pole, Ministère de la Recherche/Cancéropole IdF, and Université Paris Descartes (to V.B.).

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  1. Department of Hematology, Véronique Baud is at the Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS (UMR 8104), 75014, Paris, France, and at Inserm, U567, 123 Boulevard de Port-Royal, 75014, Paris, France.,

    Véronique Baud

  2. Departments of Pharmacology and Pathology, Michael Karin is at the Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA. veronique.baud@inserm.fr; karinoffice@ucsd.edu,

    Michael Karin

  3. karinoffice@ucsd.edu,

    Michael Karin

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Baud, V., Karin, M. Is NF-κB a good target for cancer therapy? Hopes and pitfalls. Nat Rev Drug Discov 8, 33–40 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2781

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