IκB-α: At the crossroad between oncogenic and tumor-suppressive signals

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is an essential component of tumorigenesis and resistance to cancer treatments. NFKB inhibitor α (IκB-α) acts as a negative regulator of the classical NF-κB pathway through its ability to maintain the presence of NF-κB in the cytoplasm. However, IκB-α is also able to form a complex with tumor protein p53, promoting its inactivation. Recently, we demonstrated that IκB-α is able to mediate p53 nuclear exclusion and inactivation in chronic myeloid leukemia, indicating that IκB-α can modulate either oncogenic or tumor-suppressive functions, with important implications for cancer treatment. The present review describes the role of IκB-α in cancer pathogenesis, with particular attention to hematological cancers, and highlights the involvement of IκB-α in the regulation of p53 tumor-suppressive functions.