Integrative analysis reveals therapeutic potential of pyrvinium pamoate in Merkel cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine cutaneous malignancy arising from either ultraviolet-induced mutagenesis or Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) integration. Despite extensive research, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the transition from normal cells to MCC remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed the impact of inducible MCPyV T antigens on normal human fibroblasts by performing RNA-seq. Our data uncovered changes in expression and regulation of Wnt signaling pathway members. Building on this observation, we bioinformatically evaluated various Wnt pathway perturbagens for their ability to reverse the MCC gene expression signature and identified pyrvinium pamoate, an FDA-approved anthelminthic drug known for its antitumor acti

SUBMITTER: Yang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11957690 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature