Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0079731 (B-cell lymphoma)
 16,671 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The apoptotic mode of cell death is a major regulatory process in all complex organisms. The low proliferative index and slow accumulation of malignant cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most frequent type of leukemia in Europe and North America, suggests that the disease is caused by a defect in apoptosis regulation. Classical apoptosis is executed through the activation of caspases, cysteine proteases which are regulated by a number of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. One such checkpoint is the control of caspase activation by a relatively new family of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). They block both the mitochondrial-dependent and -independent apoptotic pathways. The IAP family inhibits apoptosis by binding to specific caspases and possibly by other mechanisms. They also participate in the regulation of cellular and intracellular signal transduction. Six human IAPs have been identified: XIAP, cIAP1, cIAP2, NAIP, livin, and survivin. Because of their important role in regulating apoptosis, IAPs are being investigated as a potential prognostic factor as well as a treatment target in cancer patients. Overexpression of several IAPs has been detected in various hematological malignancies, including acute leukemias, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and many types of lymphoid malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Many publications revealed significant correlation between a high level of IAPs, especially of XIAP and survivin, and tumor progression. It seems that overexpression of XIAP in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and survivin in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and DLBCL could become a new unfavorable prognostic factor. Many studies are now concentrating on evaluating the expression and significance of the other proteins of the IAP family. In this paper the current knowledge of the importance of IAPs in hematological malignancies is presented.
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PMID:[The role of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family in hematological malignancies]. 1828 36

Apoptosis, a programmed cell death, plays a key role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis. However, impairment of its regulation may promote formation and progression of malignancy. An important part of the apoptotic machinery are the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, regulating caspase activity, cell division or cell survival pathways through binding to their baculovirus AIP repeat (BIR) domains and/or by their ubiquitin-ligase RING zinc finger (RZF) activity. The following IAPs have been described so far: NAIP (neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein; BIRC1), cIAP1 and cIAP2 (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 and 2; BIRC2 and BIRC3, respectively), XIAP (X-chromosome binding IAP; BIRC4), survivin (BIRC5), BRUCE (Apollon; BIRC6), livin (BIRC7) and Ts-IAP (testis-specific IAP; BIRC8). Several studies suggested a potential contribution of IAPs to oncogenesis and resistance to anti-tumor treatment. Increased IAP expression was found in variety of human cancers, including hematological malignancies, such as leukemias and B-cell lymphomas. A correlation between the progression of those diseases and high levels of survivin or XIAP has been reported. Overexpression of XIAP in acute myeloid leukemia or survivin in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma have been indicated as an unfavorable prognostic factors. Elevated cellular levels of cIAP1, cIAP2, XIAP and survivin correlated with a progressive course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Thus, targeting IAPs with small-molecule inhibitors by their antisense approaches or natural IAP antagonist mimetics, may be an attractive strategy of anti-cancer treatment. Such agents can either directly induce apoptosis of tumor cells or sensitize them to other cytotoxic agents, hence overcoming drug-resistance. This review demonstrates the current knowledge on IAP molecular biology, as well as the mechanisms of action and the development of IAP-targeting agents for treatment of hematological malignancies.
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PMID:Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) as potential molecular targets for therapy of hematological malignancies. 2190 53

Despite advances in immunohistochemical and molecular diagnostics, there are persistent difficulties in differentiating between several subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL). Considering high level of livin expression in hematologic malignancies, we aimed to examine the utility of livin expression ratio, as an ancillary biomarker, in distinguishing CHL from NHL in ambiguous cases. We evaluated livin expression in 38 CHL, 23 NHL, and 39 nonneoplastic lymph nodes in paraffin-embedded blocks. Tissue microarray-based semiquantitative immunoflourecent staining was applied for protein expression. Criterion standard of diagnosis was based on selection of only definite cases and not the cases suspected by hemathopathologists. A significant difference was found in the livin/GAPDH mean ratio (M.R) of expression between NHL and CHL cases. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis confirmed 0.6370 to be the best diagnostic cut-off value for the livin/GAPDH expression M.R in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (area under the curve = 0.944); it yielded 92% sensitivity, 94% specificity, likelihood ratios positive 17.5, and likelihood ratios negative 0.07 for diagnosing DLBCL from CHL. Mean ratio of livin/Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression seems to be a valuable index in differentiating DLBCL from CHL. We suggested an optimal cut-off point for livin/GAPDH expression M.R with a high sensitivity and specificity. Thus, in diagnostically difficult cases of DLBCL and CHL, focus on livin as marker may provide useful corroborative information.
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PMID:Livin, a novel marker in lymphoma type distinction. 2476 95