Inhibition of proteasome in cancer therapy

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is the most important element in the regulation of intracellular protein metabolism. Its main function is the degradation of the unnecessary proteins either as part of normal metabolic balance or in case of misfolding or part of the deregulation as in cancer cells using proteolytic enzymes. The importance of this pathway has been acknowledge by Nobel prize. In certain diseases as in several malignancies, where the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is not able to remove the proteins due to dysfunction or accumulation in a high quantity. The unregulated accumulation of proteins could lead to cell death. This phenomenon was proven by the appearance of proteasome-inhibitors targeting mainly myeloma. It should be mentioned that clinical aspects myeloma has been discussed in an excellent review by Mikala and his colleagues in Klinikai Onkológia.