The action mechanism of the Myc inhibitor termed Omomyc may give clues on how to target Myc for cancer therapy.

ABSTRACT: Recent evidence points to Myc--a multifaceted bHLHZip transcription factor deregulated in the majority of human cancers--as a priority target for therapy. How to target Myc is less clear, given its involvement in a variety of key functions in healthy cells. Here we report on the action mechanism of the Myc interfering molecule termed Omomyc, which demonstrated astounding therapeutic efficacy in transgenic mouse cancer models in vivo. Omomyc action is different from the one that can be obtained by gene knockout or RNA interference, approaches designed to block all functions of a gene product. This molecule--instead--appears to cause an edge-specific perturbation that destroys some protein interactions of the Myc node and keeps others intact, with the result of reshaping the Myc transcriptom

SUBMITTER: Savino M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3141027 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature