NF-kappaB in Lung Tumorigenesis

Abstract

The development of lung cancer in humans can be divided into three steps: initiation, promotion and progression. This process is driven by alterations in related signal transduction pathways. These pathways signal the aberrant activation of NF-kappaB, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes important for lung tumorigenesis. Our current knowledge about the role of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in the development of lung cancer has been bolstered by animal models demonstrating the connection between K-ras and tobacco induced lung transformation with NF-kappaB. Activation of downstream genes leads to cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, invasion, and metastasis.

Keywords

• NF-kappaB
• lung cancer
• tumorigenesis
• tumor initiation
• tumor promotion
• tumor progression