Translation and Its Regulation in Cancer Biology and Medicine

This book, for the first time, comprehensively assembles and analyzes a large body of information on the role of the fundamental mechanism of the protein biosynthesis pathway, translation, in cancer biology. It systematically explores the function of the translation machinery and its regulation, including cell signaling, in the development, maintenance and progression of human cancer. The work presented here unveils the tremendous potential and applications of this vast and exciting branch of genetic, biochemical and molecular science in cancer medicine and drug development. Chapters contributed by experts in the field take the reader on a journey that starts with a dissection of the translation machinery and its regulation in norm and cancer. Later chapters characterize etiological and pathogenetic roles that translation plays in specific cancer types. Various aspects of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic significance of the translation machinery and its control in cancer are discussed. Readers will discover the importance of the process of translation and its regulatory mechanisms in physiology and cancer biology. The chapters and the numerous illustrations included here were contributed by expert scientists and clinicians from renowned academic and clinical establishments in Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Australia. The book conveys information and knowledge that may interest a broad range of students and scholars ranging from basic scientists to clinicians and drug developers seeking to better understand the protein synthesis and its aberrations in cancer biology and cancer medicine. Front Matter....Pages i-xxxiv Introduction....Pages 1-3 Front Matter....Pages 5-5 Mechanism of Translation in Eukaryotes....Pages 7-37 Diverse Mechanisms of Translation Regulation and Their Role in Cancer....Pages 39-71 eIF4E and Its Binding Proteins....Pages 73-113 RNA Helicases and Their Cofactors....Pages 115-134 PDCD4....Pages 135-161 eIF4G....Pages 163-171 eIF3....Pages 173-194 The eIF2 Complex and eIF2α....Pages 195-221 eIF5A....Pages 223-232 eIF6....Pages 233-240 Translation Elongation....Pages 241-265 Ribosomes....Pages 267-278 Current and Emerging Therapies Targeting Translation....Pages 279-304 Front Matter....Pages 305-305 mTOR and Regulation of Translation....Pages 307-343 Ribosomal Protein S6 and S6 Kinases....Pages 345-362 eIF4E Phosphorylation Downstream of MAPK Pathway....Pages 363-374 Front Matter....Pages 375-375 Translational Control of Cell Proliferation and Viability in Normal and Neoplastic Cells....Pages 377-394 Translation and Apoptosis in Cancer....Pages 395-420 Translation in Cancer at Hypoxia....Pages 421-432 Front Matter....Pages 433-433 Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers....Pages 435-452 Sarcomas....Pages 453-466 Hematological Malignancies and Premalignant Conditions....Pages 467-486 Brain Tumors....Pages 487-497 Head and Neck Cancers....Pages 499-512 Breast Cancer....Pages 513-555 Cancers of the Respiratory System....Pages 557-574 Gastric and Esophageal Cancers....Pages 575-591 Colorectal Cancers....Pages 593-610 Hepatic, Pancreatic and Biliary Cancers....Pages 611-629 Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors....Pages 631-643 Gynecologic Cancers....Pages 645-656 Prostate Cancer....Pages 657-672 Cancers of the Urinary System....Pages 673-680 Back Matter....Pages 681-697