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The cytoprotective properties of vertebrate inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins have been the subject of much study. These proteins have, however, emerged as key signaling intermediates modulating a variety of cellular functions through their ability to act as E3 ubiquitin ligases. This review will focus on the cell death-independent roles of the IAP proteins, focusing on recent reports indicating that c-IAPs and XIAP are key molecules involved in modulating cell migration and development., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Deregulated activity of the proto-oncogene product c-Myc is instrumental in promoting many human cancers. As it is a transcription factor, priority has been given to identifying the genes that it regulates. Until recently, all the attention was focused on protein-encoding genes. It is now clear, however, that c-Myc also controls the production of many non-coding (nc) RNAs, including tRNA, rRNA and miRNAs. This involves it regulating the transcriptional activity of three different RNA polymerases. These ncRNAs are likely to contribute substantially to the complex biology and pathology that is associated with c-Myc.