The nuclear lamina and its proposed roles in tumorigenesis: Projection on the hematologic malignancies and future targeted therapy

The nuclear lamina, a network of lamin filaments and lamin-associated proteins, is located between the inner nuclear membrane and the peripheral chromatin. The nuclear lamina is involved in numerous nuclear functions including maintaining nuclear shape, determining nuclear positioning, organizing chromatin and regulating the cell cycle, DNA replication, transcription, cell differentiation, apoptosis, and aging. Alterations in the composition of nuclear lamins and their associated proteins are currently emerging as an additional event involved in malignant transformation, tumor propagation and progression, thus identifying potential novel targets for future anti-cancer therapy. Here., we review the current knowledge on lamin expression patterns in cells of hematologic malignancies and give an overview on the roles of the nuclear lamina proteins in heterochromatin organization, apoptosis, and aging with special emphasis on the relevance in cancer development. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.