Molecular chaperones in the etiology and therapy of cancer

Abstract

Molecular chaperones are ubiquitous, well-conserved proteins that account for 2-5 % of all cellular proteins in most cells. The present review summarizes our current knowledge about their involvement in the etiology and therapy of cancer with special emphasis on the expression of chaperones in malignant cells, their role in folding of (proto)oncogene products, cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation and apoptosis, development of metastasis, and their participation in the recognition of malignant cells. We also overview the importance of chaperones in hyperthermia, drug resistance, and recent approaches in chaperone-immunotherapy.