Abnormal turnover or expression of non-histone proteins like nuclear factor- kappaB (NF-κB), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and frataxin fuels various diseases including cancer.
They play crucial biological functions and are implicated in neurological diseases, including ataxias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, nucleotide expansion disorders (Friedreich ataxia and fragile X syndrome), and cancer.
Among the mouse models of FRDA, the liver conditional mouse model pointed to a tumor suppressor activity of frataxin leading to the hypothesis that individuals with FRDA might be predisposed to cancer.
Taken together, these results support the view that an increase in oxidative metabolism induced by mitochondrial frataxin may inhibit cancer growth in mammals.