Mortalin targeting gadgets for cancer therapy

Abstract

Mortalin, also known as GRP75/mtHSP70/PBP74, is a member of the hsp70 family of proteins. It is frequently enriched in cancers and shows distinct subcellular distribution in normal and immortal/cancer cells. Mortalin-overexpressing immortalized human cells show enhanced malignant properties, including anchorage-independent growth, formation of tumors in nude mice and chemotaxis. Targeting mortalin with antisense, ribozyme or siRNA specific for mortalin induced tumor cell-specific growth arrest and apoptosis suggesting that the development of various modalities for targeting mortalin may be useful in clinical applications. In this chapter, we discuss the various strategies that have been explored to generate mortalin-targeted cancer gene therapeutics.