Brefeldin A exerts differential effects on anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines

Arf6 as a therapeutic target: Structure, mechanism, and inhibitors

ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6), a small G-protein of the Ras superfamily, plays pivotal roles in multiple cellular events, including exocytosis, endocytosis, actin remodeling, plasma membrane reorganization and vesicular transport. Arf6 regulates the progression of cancer through the activation of cell motility and invasion. Aberrant Arf6 activation is a potential therapeutic target. This review aims to understand the comprehensive function of Arf6 for future cancer therapy. The Arf6 GEFs, protein structure, and roles in cancer have been summarized. Comprehending the mechanism underlying Arf6-mediated cancer cell growth and survival is essential. The structural features of Arf6 and its efforts are discussed and may be contributed to the discovery of future novel protein-protein interaction inhibitors. In addition, Arf6 inhibitors and mechanism of action are listed in the table. This review further emphasizes the crucial roles in drug resistance and attempts to offer an outlook of Arf6 in cancer therapy.

Drugging the Small GTPase Pathways in Cancer Treatment: Promises and Challenges

Small GTPases are a family of low molecular weight GTP-hydrolyzing enzymes that cycle between an inactive state when bound to GDP and an active state when associated to GTP. Small GTPases regulate key cellular processes (e.g., cell differentiation, proliferation, and motility) as well as subcellular events (e.g., vesicle trafficking), making them key participants in a great array of pathophysiological processes. Indeed, the dysfunction and deregulation of certain small GTPases, such as the members of the Ras and Arf subfamilies, have been related with the promotion and progression of cancer. Therefore, the development of inhibitors that target dysfunctional small GTPases could represent a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. This review covers the basic biochemical mechanisms and the diverse functions of small GTPases in cancer. We also discuss the strategies and challenges of inhibiting the activity of these enzymes and delve into new approaches that offer opportunities to target them in cancer therapy.

Therapeutic Potential of Nitrogen Mustard Based Hybrid Molecules

As medicine advances, cancer is still among one of the major health problems, posing significant threats to human health. New anticancer agents features with novel scaffolds and/or unique mechanisms of action are highly desirable for the treatment of cancers, especially those highly aggressive and drug-resistant ones. Nitrogen mustard has been widely used as an anticancer drug since the discovery of its antitumor effect in the 1942. However, the lack of selectivity to cancer cells restricts the wide usage of a mass of nitrogen mustard agents to achieve further clinical significance. Discovery of antitumor hybrids using nitrogen mustards as key functional groups has exhibited enormous potential in the drug development. Introduction of nitrogen mustards resulted in improvement in the activity, selectivity, targetability, safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics properties of corresponding lead compounds or agents. Herein, the recently developed nitrogen mustard based hybrids have been introduced in the cancer therapy.