Farnesyl Transferase Inhibitors as Potential Anticancer Agents

Farnesyl Transferase is a hetero-dimer transferase that targets Ras proteins and attaches a farnesyl group to it. This Ras protein, on localization to the cell membrane, has the ability to induce activation of various growth and proliferation pathways of the cell. Over-activation of mutated Ras may lead to the development of cancer. Farnesyl Transferase catalyses the initial step in the posttranslational modification of normal as well as mutated Ras gene, thus facilitating its tethering to the cell membrane. Inhibition of Farnesyl Transferase is the main step in restricting the activity of mutant Ras protein. Thus the above enzyme has emerged as a novel target for anti-cancer agents. Here we review the role of Farnesyl Transferase in tumorigenesis and various compounds of synthetic and natural origin acting as Farnesyl Transferase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer agents.