Challenge and promise: roles for Livin in progression and therapy of cancer

Abstract

Livin is a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein gene family, which is highly expressed in a variety of human neoplasms. Several studies have shown that down-regulation of Livin expression increases the apoptotic rate, reduces tumor growth potential, and sensitizes tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. Furthermore, emerging data reveal that Livin fragments cleavaged by caspases restored paradoxical proapoptotic activity during the apoptotic process, suggesting that Livin cleavage will become a highly potent proapoptotic agent in the future. In this article, we review the current understanding of the versatile roles of Livin in the apoptotic cascade and exploit the promising approach to interfere with Livin as a novel strategy for cancer therapy.