[Role of Ku protein in normal and cancer cells]

Abstract

Ku protein is a multifunctional heterodimer of eukaryotes that consists of two subunits: Ku70 and Ku80. It plays a critical role in the regulation of many cellular processes such as: non-homologous end-joining, V(D)J-recombination of immunoglobulin genes and genes of T-cellular receptors, transcription regulation, DNA replication. Now the existence of relation between Ku protein functioning and processes that lead to transformation of normal cells into cancerous ones is determined, in Ph-positive leukemias and multiple myelomas, in particular. Nevertheless, the machinery of this processes is not still completely understood and needs further researches.