Research advances of XBP1's role in tumor

OBJECTIVE:To summarize the structure and functions of XBP1 and its role in the development of cancers.METHORDS:Based on PubMed and CNKI journal full-text database retrieval systems,literature was searched with the key words of XBP1,UPR,ER stress,oxidative stress,neoplasms from 2002 Feb.to 2011 Oct.Choice criteria:1) the characteristics of structure and functions about XBP1;2)the expression of XBP1 in cancers;3) the correlation between XBP1 and tumours.32 papers were synthesized finally.RESULTS: XBP1 is stimulated by endoplasmic reticulum stress(ER stress) as part of the unfolded protein response(UPR),which can regulate cell survival.There is high expression of XBP1 in many kinds of neoplasms,such as HCC,breast neoplasms,pancreatic cancers and so on,which is related with the microenvironment of tumours.XBP1 deficient cells are impaired in tumor growth and their survival under hypoxia is compromised.CONCLUSION: XBP1 is highly associated with tumours and it may be a new target for molecular treatment of cancers.