Review of Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Mechanisms of Action and Rationale for Targeting in Cancer and Other Diseases

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are a family of related enzymes that share the ability to catalyze the transfer of ADP-ribose to target proteins. PARPs play an important role in various cellular processes, including modulation of chromatin structure, transcription, replication, recombination, and DNA repair. The role of PARP proteins in DNA repair is of particular interest, in view of the finding that certain tumors defective in homologous recombination mechanisms, may rely on PARP-mediated DNA repair for survival, and are sensitive to its inhibition. PARP inhibitors may also increase tumor sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. Clinical trials of PARP inhibitors are investigating the utility of these…