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Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins in hematological malignancies: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities

Leukemia volume 28, pages 1414–1422 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins exert essential functions during tumorigenesis as well as treatment resistance by simultaneously blocking cell death pathways and promoting cell survival. As IAP proteins are typically aberrantly expressed in human cancers including hematological malignancies, they represent in principle promising targets for therapeutic interventions. There are currently exciting opportunities to rationally exploit the therapeutic targeting of IAP proteins for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. Further insights into the signaling pathways that are under the control of IAP proteins and into the specific IAP protein-dependent vulnerabilities of hematological neoplasms are expected to pave the avenue to novel treatment strategies.

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Acknowledgements

The expert secretarial assistance of C Hugenberg is greatly appreciated. This work has been partially supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Jose Carreras-Stiftung, Wilhelm Sander-Stiftung, European Community (ApoDecide) and IUAP VII.

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  1. Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in Pediatrics, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany

    S Fulda

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Fulda, S. Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins in hematological malignancies: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Leukemia 28, 1414–1422 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2014.56

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