[Signal transduction inhibitor]

Numerous molecular targets for cancer chemotherapy have been identified based on the progress made in molecular biology, and new categories of anticancer drugs have been developed. They are variously called target-based drugs, non-cytotoxic drugs and cytostatic drugs. These include inhibitors of signal transduction, cyclin-dependent kinase, angiogenesis, and matrix metalloproteinases. Other new therapies include gene therapy and immunotherapy. There are multiple steps in the signal transduction cascade. Growth factor binds to its cognate receptor tyrosine kinase and the phosphotyrosines on the receptor serve as attachment sites for substrates or adapter molecules. Grb2 functions by directly coupling activated receptor tyrosine kinases to the Ras-activating nucleotide exchange factor SOS. Activation of Ras or Ras family members leads to activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade pathway. This has been implicated as a necessary component of intracellular signaling to elicit a range of cellular responses including mitogenesis, differentiation, and cell survival. We introduce signal transduction inhibitors including, Ras inhibitors, protein kinase C inhibitors, and MAPK cascade inhibitors. Recently, these drugs have been used in clinical trials and some of them have an antitumor effect. In the near future these drugs may play an important role in cancer chemotherapy. However, these drugs are thought to induce a non-cytotoxic effect different from cytotoxic drugs. Therefore correct and efficient clinical evaluation of these drugs is needed. We look forward to developments from future research on signal transduction inhibitors.