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Current Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 0929-8673
ISSN (Online): 1875-533X

Cancer Resistance to Type II Topoisomerase Inhibitors

Author(s): P. Pilati, D. Nitti and S. Mocellin

Volume 19, Issue 23, 2012

Page: [3900 - 3906] Pages: 7

DOI: 10.2174/092986712802002473

Price: $65

Abstract

Type II topoisomerases (TOPO2) are ubiquitously expressed enzymes that overcome topological problems in genomic DNA, which can result from DNA replication, transcription and repair. The class of compounds targeting TOPO2 includes some of the most active chemotherapy agents currently available for the treatment of patients with different cancer types. Therefore, understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to these drugs is of pivotal importance to improve their efficacy and ultimately increase the life expectancy of cancer patients. The first aim of this review is to summarize the molecular biology of TOPO2 inhibitors, which is the key to understand cancer resistance to them; the second part of this work is dedicated to overview and discuss the available evidence on the mechanisms of resistance to these drugs, with special attention to the strategies that might be useful to circumvent this phenomenon on the clinical ground.

Keywords: Cancer, chemoresistance, chemotherapy, topoisomerase, DNA repair, Type II topoisomerases, ubiquitously expressed enzymes, genomic DNA, drugs, biology of TOPO2 inhibitors


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