Negative growth regulators of the cell cycle machinery and cancer

Cell cycle dysregulation is a critical feature of tumor cells. Numerous cell cycle regulators act either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors and their aberrations result in proliferative advantage for cancer cells. Many molecular targets and their use in either abrogating the growth advantage of oncogenic mediators or enhancing the growth suppressive activity of tumor suppressors, have been filed for patents. The molecular targets associated with cell cycle inhibition are of particular interest because they are potential therapeutic agents of promise in the control of inappropriate cellular proliferation. This review focuses on the recent discovery of potential molecular targets involved in cell cycle inhibition and their evaluation as therapeutic agents for cancers. In this review, the strategies employed to control oncogenesis and their possible clinical applications are discussed.