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Structural, functional and therapeutic biology of survivin

N K Sah1, Z Khan, G J Khan

  • 1Department of Biotechnology, Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, Race Course Road, Gwalior 474 005, Madhya Pradesh, India. nandksah@yahoo.com

Cancer Letters
|April 20, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Survivin, a protein found in most human tumors, promotes cancer growth and therapy resistance. Targeting survivin pathways can increase apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth, offering a promising therapeutic strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family member.
  • It regulates the cell cycle and is highly expressed in human tumors, but not in normal differentiated tissues.
  • Overexpression of survivin is linked to poor prognosis and therapeutic resistance in cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of survivin in cancer.
  • To investigate survivin as a diagnostic and therapeutic target.
  • To understand the relationship between survivin and p53 in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on survivin expression and function in cancer.
  • Analysis of the association between survivin and p53.
  • Evaluation of survivin's prognostic value and therapeutic potential.

Main Results:

  • Survivin is differentially expressed in cancer versus normal tissues, making it a potential diagnostic marker.
  • Functional loss of p53 is often associated with increased survivin levels.
  • Nuclear survivin expression is a favorable prognostic indicator.

Conclusions:

  • Survivin is a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment.
  • Disrupting survivin pathways can enhance apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth.
  • Combination therapies involving radiotherapy and anticancer drugs may be effective.

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