Abstract: Livin, a novel member of human inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, is highly expressed in various malignant tumors. It plays an important role in the initiation, development，treatment and prognosis of tumors. Many studies have proved that downregulation of Livin expression using RNA interference technique can reduce tumor growth, increase the apoptotic rate, and sensitize tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Fulllength Livin is cleaved by the effector caspases to produce a truncated form (tLivin) with apoptosispromotion activity. tLivin provides a new direction for the treatment of the malignant tumors.

Key words: Gene, Apoptosis, Neoplasms