Einzelzellbiologie

Abstrakt

Insights into the regulation of survivin expression in tumors

Jiri Vachtenheim and Katerina Vlckova

Survivin, an anti-apoptotic protein, is expressed in tumors, whereas in normal tissues, the expression of this protein is absent or extremely low. Survivin exhibits multifunctional activity in tumor cells. Survivin is the smallest member of the apoptosis inhibitor protein family and has been shown to play a key role in regulating cell division and inhibiting apoptosis. The cancer protein survivin has been shown to be associated with tumor cell progression, invasiveness, therapy resistance, and poor prognosis. Its level in tumors is associated with deregulation of several oncogenic signaling pathways. This review describes survivin expression and advances in understanding the transcriptional regulation of survivin, with a focus on enhanced apoptosis in cancer and its connection to the hedgehog signaling pathway and cancer stem cells.