Abstract
•Cytotoxic nucleosides analogues are UCK2-dependent to form 5′-triphosphate.•Nucleosides analogues induced cancer cell death by interfering with gene synthesis.•There is possible molecular crosstalk between UCK2 and cancer cell death induction.•There is a need to established cell death mechanism associated with cytotoxicity.
Apoptosis is a series of molecular signalling regulating normal cellular growth and development. Cells resistance to apoptosis, however, leads to uncontrolled proliferation. Research involving cancer cell death is one of the most important targeted areas in the discovery of novel anticancer therapy. There are several biochemical pathways that are liked towards cancer cell death of which, uridine-cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2) was recently linked to cell apoptosis induction. UCK2 is responsible for the phosphorylation of uridine and cytidine to their corresponding monophosphate in a salvage pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides biosynthesis. Cytotoxic ribonucleoside analogues that target UCK2 enzyme activity are currently being investigated in clinical trials useful for cancer treatment. Whilst findings have clearly shown that these antimetabolites inhibit cancer development in clinical settings, they have yet to establish linking cytotoxic nucleoside analogues to cancer cell death. In this present review, we propose the probable molecular crosstalk involving UCK2 protein and cancer cell death through cell cycle arrest and triggering of apoptosis involving proteins, MDM2 and the subsequent activation of p53.