NF-κB, an active player in human cancers

944Citations
Citations of this article
818Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

NF-κB comprises a family of five transcription factors that form distinct protein complexes, which bind to consensus DNA sequences at promoter regions of responsive genes regulating cellular processes. The past three decades have witnessed remarkable progress in understanding the NF-κB signaling pathway in physiologic and pathologic conditions. The role of NF-κB in human cancer initiation, development, metastasis, and resistance to treatment has drawn particular attention. A significant number of human cancers have constitutive NF-κB activity due to the inflammatory microenvironment and various oncogenic mutations. NF-κB activity not only promotes tumor cells' proliferation, suppresses apoptosis, and attracts angiogenesis, but it also induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which facilitates distant metastasis. In certain circumstances, NF-κB activation may also remodel local metabolism and anergize the immune system to favor tumor growth. Suppression of NF-κB in myeloid cells or tumor cells usually leads to tumor regression, which makes the NF-κB pathway a promising therapeutic target. However, because of its vital role in various biologic activities, components of the NF-κB pathway need to be carefully selected and evaluated to design targeted therapies.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Xia, Y., Shen, S., & Verma, I. M. (2014, September 1). NF-κB, an active player in human cancers. Cancer Immunology Research. https://doi.org/10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-14-0112

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free