[Proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib (Vercade), potently inhibits the growth of adult T-cell leukemia cells].

The proteasome is a multicatalytic proteinase complex responsible for the degradation of most intracellular proteins, including crucial to cell cycle regulation, cell growth, and apoptosis. Bortezomib (Vercade; formerly known as PS-341) is a novel dipeptide boronic acid that is the first proteasome inhibitor to have progressed to clinical trials. Below we discuss the mechanism of bortezomib for cancer therapy, review the clinical data, and introduce the potent effect on ATL cells.