Growth arrest and DNA damage-45 alpha (GADD45α)

Regulation of cell cycle and growth is integral for cell survival. The intricate mechanisms that control proliferation and cell cycle are numerous. The growth arrest and DNA damage (GADD)-inducible gene family is often up-regulated in response to various environmental stresses and drug therapies. GADD45α was the first stress-inducible gene determined to be up-regulated by p53 and is also a target for the p53 homologues, p63 and p73. When GADD45α is deleted or repressed, cells show uncontrolled proliferation. Furthermore, decreased GADD45α expression is also considered a survival mechanism, as cancer cells without this control can evade the apoptotic pathway leading to increased tumourigenesis. Drug therapies can act to directly or indirectly up-regulate GADD45α and promote apoptosis. As GADD45α is an essential component of many metabolic pathways that control proliferating cancer cells, it presents itself as an emerging drug target worthy of further investigation.