RETINOBLASTOMA PROTEIN IN INFLAMMATION: A REVIEW

Inflammation is a host immune response initiated by the activation of inflammatory cascades resulting from any tissue injury. During the inflammatory response, multiple inflammatory mediators are released to restore the organ function and integrity by activating various inflammatory mediators. The presence of these molecules in the tumor microenvironment led to studies on the molecular pathways that are modulated during the inflammation to cancer transition. RB pathway is one such signaling pathway becoming more recognized in the microenvironments of pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. RB1 is known to have multifunctional roles in the cellular growth and development processes, including apoptosis and autophagy. The RB protein in a dephosphorylated state negatively regulates the cell cycle at different checkpoints, thereby influencing the G1 to S phase progression. Besides its cell cycle activity, recent reports suggest that RB protein has a role in the pathogenesis of inflammation. The deregulation in the expression of RB protein is said to play an active role in stimulating the pro-inflammatory molecules, consequently resulting in inflammatory responses during cancer progression. This review article focuses on the RB protein status in inflammation providing collective information on new molecular targets for early intervention.