Stathmin 1: a novel therapeutic target for anticancer activity
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008.
Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy. 2008 Sep;8(9):1461-70. [Link]
Rana S, Maples PB, Senzer N, Nemunaitis J.
Gradalis, Inc., 2545 Golden Bear Drive, Suite 110, Carrollton, TX 75006, USA. srana@gradalisinc.com
Abstract
Stathmin 1 (STMN1), also known as p17, p18, p19, 19K, metablastin, oncoprotein 18, LAP 18 and Op18, is a 19 kDa cytosolic protein. It was the first discovered member of a family of phylogenetically related microtubule-destabilizing phosphoproteins critically involved in the construction and function of the mitotic spindle. A threshold level of STMN1 is required for orderly progression through mitosis in a variety of cell types. STMN1 is overexpressed across a broad range of human malignancies (leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma; ovarian, prostatic, breast and lung cancers and mesothelioma). It is also upregulated in normally proliferating cell lines but is only rarely upregulated in nonproliferating cell lines with the exception of neurons, anterior pituitary cells and glial cells. Its expression is also upregulated in hepatocytes during regeneration and in lymphoid cells when they are signaled to proliferate. In this review, we summarize available data as rationale for the therapeutic manipulation of STMN1 in cancer patients.
Glossary
- therapy
- any of the measures taken to treat a disease. Unproven therapy is any therapy that has not been scientifically tested and approved. Use of an unproven therapy instead of standard (proven) therapy is called alternative therapy. Some alternative therapies have dangerous or even life-threatening side effects. For others, the main danger is that a patient may lose the opportunity to benefit from standard therapy. Complementary therapy, on the other hand, refers to therapies used in addition to standard therapy. Some complementary therapies may help relieve certain symptoms of cancer, relieve side effects of standard cancer therapy, or improve a patient's sense of well-being. The ACS recommends that patients considering use of any alternative or complementary therapy discuss this with their health care team.
- lymphoma
- (lim-foam-uh) a cancer of the lymphatic system, a network of thin vessels and nodes throughout the body. Its function is to fight infection. Lymphoma involves a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes. The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The treatment methods for these two types of lymphomas are very different.
- leukemia
- (loo-key-me-uh) cancer of the blood or blood-forming organs. People with leukemia often have a noticeable increase in white blood cells (leukocytes).
- cell
- the basic unit of which all living things are made. Cells replace themselves by splitting and forming new cells (mitosis). The processes that control the formation of new cells and the death of old cells are disrupted in cancer.
- cancer
- malignancy; a group of diseases typified by abnormal, generally out-of-control, cell growth.
- mesothelioma
- a tumor derived from mesothelial tissue, such as the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) or pleura (lining the lungs). More on mesothelioma.
