The INhibitor of Growth (ING) proteins are a family of tumor suppressors.

They are involved in cell proliferation, stem cell differentiation and the DDR.

Lately they have been implicated in rRNA synthesis and mRNA stability.

They can also regulate mitochondrial DNA transcription and metabolism.

These functions are potential targets for cancer treatment.

The INhibitor of Growth (ING) proteins (ING1, ING2, ING3, ING4 and ING5) are a family of epigenetic regulators. Their decreased expression in numerous cancers led to identifying the ING proteins as gatekeeper tumor suppressors as they regulate cell cycle progression, apoptosis and senescence. Subsequently, they were also described as caretaker tumor suppressors through their involvement in DNA replication and the DNA damage response (DDR). Recent studies have identified new interactions of the ING proteins with proteins or pathways implicated in cell proliferation, the maintenance of stem cells pluripotency or the DDR. Furthermore, the ING proteins have been identified as regulators of ribosomal RNA synthesis and of mRNA stability and as regulators of mitochondrial DNA transcription resulting in the regulation of metabolism. These new findings highlight new antitumorigenic activities of the ING proteins that are potential targets for cancer treatment.

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.