Abstract
Survivin, the smallest member of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), plays an important role in the control of apoptosis, cell division, and cell migration/metastasis. Survivin is expressed and required for normal fetal development but is then generally no longer present in most adult tissues. However, reexpression of survivin is observed in numerous human cancers where presence of the protein is associated with enhanced proliferation, metastasis, poor prognosis, and decreased patient survival. Given the relatively selective expression in cancer cells, but not in normal tissue (tumor-associated antigen), and its importance in tumor cell biology, survivin has emerged as an attractive target for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss some aspects of survivin biology by focusing on why the protein appears to be so important for cancer cells and then discuss strategies that harness this dependence to eradicate tumors and situate survivin as a potential Achilles' heel of cancer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Advances in Cancer Research |
| Publisher | Academic Press Inc. |
| Pages | 1-37 |
| Number of pages | 37 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Publication series
| Name | Advances in Cancer Research |
|---|---|
| Volume | 111 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0065-230X |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 0065-230X |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The following support is gratefully acknowledged: CONICYT Program PFB-16, CONICYT Fellowship for Postgraduate Studies “Presidente de la República” (AL); CONICYT fellowship and MECESUP travel award (CS); Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Medical Research Council, the Cancer Society of Stockholm, the European Union (Grant “EUCAAD” and “DC-THERA”), the Karolinska Institutet, “ALF-Project” grants from the Stockholm City Council (RK); FONDECYT-FONDAP 15010006, FONDECYT 1090071, and ICGEB CRP/CH102-01 (AFGQ).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research
