Par‐4 inducible apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

Abstract
Prostate cancer is associated with the inability of prostatic epithelial cells to undergo apoptosis rather than with increased cell proliferation. Prostate apoptosis response‐4 (Par‐4) is a unique pro‐apoptotic molecule that is capable of selectively inducing apoptosis in cancer cells when over‐expressed, sensitizing the cells to diverse apoptotic stimuli and causing regression of tumors in animal models. This review discusses the salient functions of Par‐4 that can be harnessed to prostate cancer therapy.