Microtubules and Their Role in Cellular Stress in Cancer
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 18 June 2014
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Oncology
- Vol. 4, 153
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2014.00153
Abstract
Microtubules are highly dynamic structures, which consist of α- and β-tubulin heterodimers, and are involved in cell movement, intracellular trafficking and mitosis. In the context of cancer, the tubulin family of proteins is recognized as the target of the tubulin-binding chemotherapeutics, which suppress the dynamics of the mitotic spindle to cause mitotic arrest and cell death. Importantly, changes in microtubule stability and the expression of different tubulin isotypes as well as altered post-translational modifications have been reported for a range of cancers. These changes have been correlated with poor prognosis and chemotherapy resistance in solid and hematological cancers. However the mechanisms underlying these observations have remained poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that tubulins and microtubule-associated proteins may play a role in a range of cellular stress responses, thus conferring survival advantage to cancer cells. This review will focus on the importance of the microtubule-protein network in regulating critical cellular processes in response to stress. Understanding the role of microtubules in this context may offer novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of cancer.Keywords
This publication has 244 references indexed in Scilit:
- Autophagy and chemotherapy resistance: a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatmentCell Death & Disease, 2013
- Bim Inhibits Autophagy by Recruiting Beclin 1 to MicrotubulesMolecular Cell, 2012
- MG-2477, a new tubulin inhibitor, induces autophagy through inhibition of the Akt/mTOR pathway and delayed apoptosis in A549 cellsBiochemical Pharmacology, 2012
- Management of cytoskeleton architecture by molecular chaperones and immunophilinsCellular Signalling, 2011
- Lysosomal positioning coordinates cellular nutrient responsesNature, 2011
- Ragulator-Rag Complex Targets mTORC1 to the Lysosomal Surface and Is Necessary for Its Activation by Amino AcidsCell, 2010
- Expression of ERCC1 and class III β-tubulin in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with carboplatin and paclitaxelLung Cancer, 2009
- Diverse molecular functions of Hu proteinsCellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2008
- Increased Levels of a Unique Post-Translationally Modified βIVb-Tubulin Isotype in Liver CancerBiochemistry, 2008
- JNK1-Mediated Phosphorylation of Bcl-2 Regulates Starvation-Induced AutophagyMolecular Cell, 2008