Programmed cell death protein 4 (pdcd4): a novel target for antineoplastic therapy?

ABSTRACT

Pdcd4 is a novel gene first identified as a differentially expressed protein during apoptosis. In the meantime not only the impact of Pdcd4 in programmed cell death but also an implication in transformation suppression by inhibition of protein translation is discussed. These features implicate a potential value of Pdcd4 as a molecular target in cancer therapy. This review summarizes the current knowledge about expression, structure and function of Pdcd4.