BIRC7 (baculoviral IAP repeat containing 7)

BIRC7, also known as livin, is a member of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP) family and is linked to the prevention of cell death induced by apoptosis, by directly or indirectly preventing caspase activity. In general, as most IAPs, BIRC7 expression is not detectable in normal differentiated adult tissues, with the exception of placenta, spleen, lymph nodes and developing embryonic tissues. On the other hand, BIRC7 overexpression has been reported in a variety of tumor types, in which it is associated to malignancy and chemoresistance. Currently, there are some unanswered questions about BIRC7, including its interaction with caspases, a potential paradoxical role in the apoptotic process, and specific functions/affinities of the BIRC7α and BIRC7β splice variants. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated the value of BIRC7 as a therapeutic target in a number of cancer types. This review mainly focuses on the role of BIRC7 in cancer cell biology and its clinical significance, demonstrating aspects of its DNA/RNA and protein, as well as its relevance in cancer diagnosis and prognosis.