14-3-3 proteins: do they have a role in human cancer?

The 14-3-3 proteins are a family of adaptors that have recently gained a lot of attention due to the discovery that they may play an important role in human tumorigenesis. Examination of human tumors shows that expression of these proteins is increased in some tumors and decreased in others. Since biochemical studies suggest that 14-3-3 proteins regulate multiple pathways that are also disrupted during tumorigenesis, it is unclear how they actually contribute to tumor development.