Enhanced nuclear delivery of H1-S6A, F8A peptide by NrTP6-modified polymeric platform

MYC the oncogene from hell: Novel opportunities for cancer therapy

Cancer comprises a heterogeneous disease, characterized by diverse features such as constitutive expression of oncogenes and/or downregulation of tumor suppressor genes. MYC constitutes a master transcriptional regulator, involved in many cellular functions and is aberrantly expressed in more than 70 % of human cancers. The Myc protein belongs to a family of transcription factors whose structural pattern is referred to as basic helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper. Myc binds to its partner, a smaller protein called Max, forming an Myc:Max heterodimeric complex that interacts with specific DNA recognition sequences (E-boxes) and regulates the expression of downstream target genes. Myc protein plays a fundamental role for the life of a cell, as it is involved in many physiological functions such as proliferation, growth and development since it controls the expression of a very large percentage of genes (∼15 %). However, despite the strict control of MYC expression in normal cells, MYC is often deregulated in cancer, exhibiting a key role in stimulating oncogenic process affecting features such as aberrant proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, genomic instability and oncogenic transformation. In this review we aim to meticulously describe the fundamental role of MYC in tumorigenesis and highlight its importance as an anticancer drug target. We focus mainly on the different categories of novel small molecules that act as inhibitors of Myc function in diverse ways hence offering great opportunities for an efficient cancer therapy. This knowledge will provide significant information for the development of novel Myc inhibitors and assist to the design of treatments that would effectively act against Myc-dependent cancers.

Taking the Myc out of cancer: toward therapeutic strategies to directly inhibit c-Myc

c-Myc is a transcription factor that is constitutively and aberrantly expressed in over 70% of human cancers. Its direct inhibition has been shown to trigger rapid tumor regression in mice with only mild and fully reversible side effects, suggesting this to be a viable therapeutic strategy. Here we reassess the challenges of directly targeting c-Myc, evaluate lessons learned from current inhibitors, and explore how future strategies such as miniaturisation of Omomyc and targeting E-box binding could facilitate translation of c-Myc inhibitors into the clinic.