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Garza Treviño EN, Quiroz Reyes AG, Delgado Gonzalez P, Rojas Murillo JA, Islas JF, Alonso SS, Gonzalez Villarreal CA. Applications of Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Targeted Systems against Tumor Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7791. [PMID: 39063032 PMCID: PMC11276748 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25147791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Combined gene and cell therapy are promising strategies for cancer treatment. Given the complexity of cancer, several approaches are actively studied to fight this disease. Using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has demonstrated dual antitumor and protumor effects as they exert massive immune/regulatory effects on the tissue microenvironment. MSCs have been widely investigated to exploit their antitumor target delivery system. They can be genetically modified to overexpress genes and selectively or more efficiently eliminate tumor cells. Current approaches tend to produce more effective and safer therapies using MSCs or derivatives; however, the effect achieved by engineered MSCs in solid tumors is still limited and depends on several factors such as the cell source, transgene, and tumor target. This review describes the progress of gene and cell therapy focused on MSCs as a cornerstone against solid tumors, addressing the different MSC-engineering methods that have been approached over decades of research. Furthermore, we summarize the main objectives of engineered MSCs against the most common cancers and discuss the challenges, limitations, risks, and advantages of targeted treatments combined with conventional ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa N. Garza Treviño
- Laboratorio de Terapia Celular, Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Dr. José Eleuterio González 235, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.N.G.T.); (A.G.Q.R.); (P.D.G.); (J.A.R.M.); (J.F.I.)
| | - Adriana G. Quiroz Reyes
- Laboratorio de Terapia Celular, Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Dr. José Eleuterio González 235, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.N.G.T.); (A.G.Q.R.); (P.D.G.); (J.A.R.M.); (J.F.I.)
| | - Paulina Delgado Gonzalez
- Laboratorio de Terapia Celular, Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Dr. José Eleuterio González 235, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.N.G.T.); (A.G.Q.R.); (P.D.G.); (J.A.R.M.); (J.F.I.)
| | - Juan Antonio Rojas Murillo
- Laboratorio de Terapia Celular, Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Dr. José Eleuterio González 235, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.N.G.T.); (A.G.Q.R.); (P.D.G.); (J.A.R.M.); (J.F.I.)
| | - Jose Francisco Islas
- Laboratorio de Terapia Celular, Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Dr. José Eleuterio González 235, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (E.N.G.T.); (A.G.Q.R.); (P.D.G.); (J.A.R.M.); (J.F.I.)
| | - Santiago Saavedra Alonso
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Vicerrectoría de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Monterrey, Ignacio Morones Prieto 4500, Jesus M. Garza, San Pedro Garza García 66238, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Carlos A. Gonzalez Villarreal
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Vicerrectoría de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Monterrey, Ignacio Morones Prieto 4500, Jesus M. Garza, San Pedro Garza García 66238, Nuevo León, Mexico
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2
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Murray JE, Valli E, Milazzo G, Mayoh C, Gifford AJ, Fletcher JI, Xue C, Jayatilleke N, Salehzadeh F, Gamble LD, Rouaen JRC, Carter DR, Forgham H, Sekyere EO, Keating J, Eden G, Allan S, Alfred S, Kusuma FK, Clark A, Webber H, Russell AJ, de Weck A, Kile BT, Santulli M, De Rosa P, Fleuren EDG, Gao W, Wilkinson-White L, Low JKK, Mackay JP, Marshall GM, Hilton DJ, Giorgi FM, Koster J, Perini G, Haber M, Norris MD. The transcriptional co-repressor Runx1t1 is essential for MYCN-driven neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5585. [PMID: 38992040 PMCID: PMC11239676 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49871-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
MYCN oncogene amplification is frequently observed in aggressive childhood neuroblastoma. Using an unbiased large-scale mutagenesis screen in neuroblastoma-prone transgenic mice, we identify a single germline point mutation in the transcriptional corepressor Runx1t1, which abolishes MYCN-driven tumorigenesis. This loss-of-function mutation disrupts a highly conserved zinc finger domain within Runx1t1. Deletion of one Runx1t1 allele in an independent Runx1t1 knockout mouse model is also sufficient to prevent MYCN-driven neuroblastoma development, and reverse ganglia hyperplasia, a known pre-requisite for tumorigenesis. Silencing RUNX1T1 in human neuroblastoma cells decreases colony formation in vitro, and inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, RUNX1T1 knockdown inhibits the viability of PAX3-FOXO1 fusion-driven rhabdomyosarcoma and MYC-driven small cell lung cancer cells. Despite the role of Runx1t1 in MYCN-driven tumorigenesis neither gene directly regulates the other. We show RUNX1T1 forms part of a transcriptional LSD1-CoREST3-HDAC repressive complex recruited by HAND2 to enhancer regions to regulate chromatin accessibility and cell-fate pathway genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne E Murray
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Emanuele Valli
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Giorgio Milazzo
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew J Gifford
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Anatomical Pathology, NSW Health Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Jamie I Fletcher
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Chengyuan Xue
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Nisitha Jayatilleke
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Firoozeh Salehzadeh
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Laura D Gamble
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Jourdin R C Rouaen
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Daniel R Carter
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Forgham
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Eric O Sekyere
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Joanna Keating
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Georgina Eden
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Sophie Allan
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Stephanie Alfred
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Frances K Kusuma
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Clark
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Hannah Webber
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Amanda J Russell
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Antoine de Weck
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Benjamin T Kile
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Martina Santulli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Piergiuseppe De Rosa
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Emmy D G Fleuren
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Weiman Gao
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Lorna Wilkinson-White
- Sydney Analytical Core Research Facility, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jason K K Low
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joel P Mackay
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Glenn M Marshall
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Douglas J Hilton
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Federico M Giorgi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jan Koster
- Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Perini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michelle Haber
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Murray D Norris
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2031, Australia.
- UNSW Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Jakobsen ST, Jensen RAM, Madsen MS, Ravnsborg T, Vaagenso CS, Siersbæk MS, Einarsson H, Andersson R, Jensen ON, Siersbæk R. MYC activity at enhancers drives prognostic transcriptional programs through an epigenetic switch. Nat Genet 2024; 56:663-674. [PMID: 38454021 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01676-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The transcription factor MYC is overexpressed in most cancers, where it drives multiple hallmarks of cancer progression. MYC is known to promote oncogenic transcription by binding to active promoters. In addition, MYC has also been shown to invade distal enhancers when expressed at oncogenic levels, but this enhancer binding has been proposed to have low gene-regulatory potential. Here, we demonstrate that MYC directly regulates enhancer activity to promote cancer type-specific gene programs predictive of poor patient prognosis. MYC induces transcription of enhancer RNA through recruitment of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), rather than regulating RNAPII pause-release, as is the case at promoters. This process is mediated by MYC-induced H3K9 demethylation and acetylation by GCN5, leading to enhancer-specific BRD4 recruitment through its bromodomains, which facilitates RNAPII recruitment. We propose that MYC drives prognostic cancer type-specific gene programs through induction of an enhancer-specific epigenetic switch, which can be targeted by BET and GCN5 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon T Jakobsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Rikke A M Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Maria S Madsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Tina Ravnsborg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Majken S Siersbæk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Hjorleifur Einarsson
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robin Andersson
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ole N Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Siersbæk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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4
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Lu J, Feng Y, Yu D, Li H, Li W, Chen H, Chen L. A review of nuclear Dbf2-related kinase 1 (NDR1) protein interaction as promising new target for cancer therapy. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129188. [PMID: 38184050 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.129188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear Dbf2-related kinase 1 (NDR1) is a nuclear Dbf2-related (NDR) protein kinase family member, which regulates cell functions and participates in cell proliferation and differentiation through kinase activity. NDR1 regulates physiological functions by interacting with different proteins. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial for regulating biological processes and controlling cell fate, and as a result, it is beneficial to study the actions of PPIs to elucidate the pathological mechanism of diseases. The previous studies also show that the expression of NDR1 is deregulated in numerous human cancer samples and it needs the context-specific targeting strategies for NDR1. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the direct interaction between NDR1 and varieties of proteins may provide new insights into cancer therapies. In this review, we summarize recent studies of NDR1 in solid tumors, such as prostate cancer and breast cancer, and explore the mechanism of action of PPIs of NDR1 in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiani Lu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanjun Feng
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Danmei Yu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hongtao Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Hongzhuan Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lili Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
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Agarwal P, Glowacka A, Mahmoud L, Bazzar W, Larsson LG, Alzrigat M. MYCN Amplification Is Associated with Reduced Expression of Genes Encoding γ-Secretase Complex and NOTCH Signaling Components in Neuroblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8141. [PMID: 37175848 PMCID: PMC10179553 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is found in ~20% of neuroblastoma (NB) cases and correlates with high-risk disease and poor prognosis. Despite the plethora of studies describing the role of MYCN in NB, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying MYCN's contribution to high-risk disease are not completely understood. Herein, we implemented an integrative approach combining publicly available RNA-Seq and MYCN ChIP-Seq datasets derived from human NB cell lines to define biological processes directly regulated by MYCN in NB. Our approach revealed that MYCN-amplified NB cell lines, when compared to non-MYCN-amplified cell lines, are characterized by reduced expression of genes involved in NOTCH receptor processing, axoneme assembly, and membrane protein proteolysis. More specifically, we found genes encoding members of the γ-secretase complex, which is known for its ability to liberate several intracellular signaling molecules from membrane-bound proteins such as NOTCH receptors, to be down-regulated in MYCN-amplified NB cell lines. Analysis of MYCN ChIP-Seq data revealed an enrichment of MYCN binding at the transcription start sites of genes encoding γ-secretase complex subunits. Notably, using publicly available gene expression data from NB primary tumors, we revealed that the expression of γ-secretase subunits encoding genes and other components of the NOTCH signaling pathway was also reduced in MYCN-amplified tumors and correlated with worse overall survival in NB patients. Genetic or pharmacological depletion of MYCN in NB cell lines induced the expression of γ-secretase genes and NOTCH-target genes. Chemical inhibition of γ-secretase activity dampened the expression of NOTCH-target genes upon MYCN depletion in NB cells. In conclusion, this study defines a set of MYCN-regulated pathways that are specific to MYCN-amplified NB tumors, and it suggests a novel role for MYCN in the suppression of genes of the γ-secretase complex, with an impact on the NOTCH-target gene expression in MYCN-amplified NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasoon Agarwal
- National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden (NBIS), Science for Life Laboratory, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Aleksandra Glowacka
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden
| | - Loay Mahmoud
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Wesam Bazzar
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars-Gunnar Larsson
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mohammad Alzrigat
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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Karadkhelkar NM, Lin M, Eubanks LM, Janda KD. Demystifying the Druggability of the MYC Family of Oncogenes. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3259-3269. [PMID: 36734615 PMCID: PMC10182829 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The MYC family of oncogenes (MYC, MYCN, and MYCL) encodes a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLHLZ) transcriptional regulator that is responsible for moving the cell through the restriction point. Through the HLHZIP domain, MYC heterodimerizes with the bHLHLZ protein MAX, which enables this MYC-MAX complex to bind to E-box regulatory DNA elements thereby controlling transcription of a large group of genes and their proteins. Translationally, MYC is one of the foremost oncogenic targets, and deregulation of expression of the MYC family gene/proteins occurs in over half of all human tumors and is recognized as a hallmark of cancer initiation and maintenance. Additionally, unexpected roles for this oncoprotein have been found in cancers that nominally have a non-MYC etiology. Although MYC is rarely mutated, its gain of function in cancer results from overexpression or from amplification. Moreover, MYC is a pleiotropic transcription factor possessing broad pathogenic prominence making it a coveted cancer target. A widely held notion within the biomedical research community is that the reliable modulation of MYC represents a tremendous therapeutic opportunity given its role in directly potentiating oncogenesis. However, the MYC-MAX heterodimer interaction contains a large surface area with a lack of well-defined binding sites creating the perception that targeting of MYC-MAX is forbidding. Here, we discuss the biochemistry behind MYC and MYC-MAX as it relates to cancer progression associated with these transcription factors. We also discuss the notion that MYC should no longer be regarded as undruggable, providing examples that a therapeutic window is achievable despite global MYC inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishant M. Karadkhelkar
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Mingliang Lin
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Lisa M. Eubanks
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Kim D. Janda
- Departments of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
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