Abstract
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key protein kinase controlling signal transduction from various growth factors and upstream proteins to the level of mRNA translation and ribosome biogenesis, with pivotal regulatory effects on cell cycle progression, cellular proliferation and growth, autophagy and angiogenesis. The mTOR pathway, and its upstream regulators in the PI3K/PTEN/AKT cascade, are altered in a variety of experimental and human malignancies. This has led to the prediction that mTOR inhibitors may be used as anticancer agents. With the recent approval of two mTOR-targeted drugs (temsirolimus and everolimus) for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and mantle cell lymphoma, this paradigm has been effectively translated into the clinical setting. In this review, we discuss mTOR biology and regulation, the mode of action of mTOR inhibitors as anti-cancer agents, and current clinical evidence supporting the use of rapamycin-like mTOR inhibitors in cancer treatment.
Keywords: mTOR, growth inhibition, angiogenesis, cancer therapy, rapamycin-like agents, renal cell carcinoma
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: The mTOR Pathway: A New Target in Cancer Therapy
Volume: 10 Issue: 5
Author(s): L. Ciuffreda, C. Di Sanza, U.C. Incani and M. Milella
Affiliation:
Keywords: mTOR, growth inhibition, angiogenesis, cancer therapy, rapamycin-like agents, renal cell carcinoma
Abstract: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key protein kinase controlling signal transduction from various growth factors and upstream proteins to the level of mRNA translation and ribosome biogenesis, with pivotal regulatory effects on cell cycle progression, cellular proliferation and growth, autophagy and angiogenesis. The mTOR pathway, and its upstream regulators in the PI3K/PTEN/AKT cascade, are altered in a variety of experimental and human malignancies. This has led to the prediction that mTOR inhibitors may be used as anticancer agents. With the recent approval of two mTOR-targeted drugs (temsirolimus and everolimus) for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and mantle cell lymphoma, this paradigm has been effectively translated into the clinical setting. In this review, we discuss mTOR biology and regulation, the mode of action of mTOR inhibitors as anti-cancer agents, and current clinical evidence supporting the use of rapamycin-like mTOR inhibitors in cancer treatment.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Ciuffreda L., Di Sanza C., Incani U.C. and Milella M., The mTOR Pathway: A New Target in Cancer Therapy, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2010; 10 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800910791517172
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800910791517172 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Beyond Trastuzumab: Overcoming Resistance to Targeted HER-2 Therapy in Breast Cancer
Current Cancer Drug Targets Nuclear Medicine: from Photons to Physiology
Current Pharmaceutical Design Improvement of Adoptive Cellular Immunotherapy of Human Cancer Using Ex-Vivo Gene Transfer
Current Gene Therapy Inflammation-Mediating Proteases: Structure, Function in (Patho) Physiology and Inhibition
Protein & Peptide Letters Genistein Inhibits Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis Through Up-regulation of miR-34a in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Current Drug Targets Novel Reactions in the Cephalostatin Series
Current Organic Chemistry The Urokinase Receptor System, A Key Regulator at the Intersection between Inflammation, Immunity, and Coagulation
Current Pharmaceutical Design Targeting Receptor Tyrosine Kinases Using Monoclonal Antibodies: The Most Specific Tools for Targeted-Based Cancer Therapy
Current Drug Targets Antiviral and Virucidal Activities of Natural Products
Current Medicinal Chemistry Synthetic and Natural Products as Iron Chelators
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry The Use of Ghrelin and Ghrelin Receptor Agonists as a Treatment for Animal Models of Disease: Efficacy and Mechanism
Current Pharmaceutical Design Angiogenesis Inhibitors: Perspectives for Medical, Surgical and Radiation Oncology
Current Pharmaceutical Design Molecular and Biochemical Pathways Encompassing Diabetes Mellitus and Dementia
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Targeted Radionuclide Therapy - An Overview
Current Radiopharmaceuticals β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate as a Countermeasure for Cancer Cachexia: A Cellular and Molecular Rationale
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Anticancer Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Signaling Pathway Inhibitors: Current Status, Challenges and Future Prospects in Management of Epilepsy
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets HSF1 as a Cancer Biomarker and Therapeutic Target
Current Cancer Drug Targets Intercellular Crosstalk Via Extracellular Vesicles in Tumor Milieu as Emerging Therapies for Cancer Progression
Current Pharmaceutical Design Inhibition of Tumor Angiogenesis by Antibodies, Synthetic Small Molecules and Natural Products
Current Medicinal Chemistry Vascular Disrupting Agents (VDA) in Oncology: Advancing Towards New Therapeutic Paradigms in the Clinic
Current Drug Targets