Anti-tumor activities and apoptotic mechanism of ribosome-inactivating proteins.

ABSTRACT: Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) belong to a family of enzymes that attack eukaryotic ribosomes and potently inhibit cellular protein synthesis. RIPs possess several biomedical properties, including anti-viral and anti-tumor activities. Multiple RIPs are known to inhibit tumor cell proliferation through inducing apoptosis in a variety of cancers, such as breast cancer, leukemia/lymphoma, and hepatoma. This review focuses on the anti-tumor activities of RIPs and their apoptotic effects through three closely related pathways: mitochondrial, death receptor, and endoplasmic reticulum pathways.

SUBMITTER: Zeng M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4593346 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature