Class III β -Tubulin (TUBB3): More than a Biomarker in Solid Tumors?

Title: Class III β -Tubulin (TUBB3): More than a Biomarker in Solid Tumors?

Volume: 11 Issue: 9

Author(s): M. Mariani, S. Shahabi, S. Sieber, G. Scambia and C. Ferlini

Affiliation:

Keywords: Tubulin, biomarkers, drug-resistance, poor outcome, pharmacogenomics, toxicity, biomediators, myeloid leukemia, tumors, imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, oncogene, carcinoma, angiogenesis

Abstract: Class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) is a prominent mechanism of drug resistance expressed in a variety of solid tumors and particularly in lung and ovarian cancer. In the classical view, TUBB3 expression and drug resistance have been linked, and together they have been associated with a perturbation in microtubule dynamics. In keeping with this observation, TUBB3 was associated with drug resistance only when chemotherapy included a taxane in its chemical composition. In this review, we demonstrate that the classical supposition about TUBB3 is not correct, and that instead TUBB3 expression is linked to drug resistance as a complex survival mechanism activated by microenvironmental conditions such as poor nutrient supply and hypoxia.

Cite this article as:

Mariani M., Shahabi S., Sieber S., Scambia G. and Ferlini C., Class III β -Tubulin (TUBB3): More than a Biomarker in Solid Tumors?, Current Molecular Medicine 2011; 11 (9) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156652411798062368