Intrinsic cell-penetrating activity propels Omomyc from proof of concept to viable anti-MYC therapy.

ABSTRACT: Inhibiting MYC has long been considered unfeasible, although its key role in human cancers makes it a desirable target for therapeutic intervention. One reason for its perceived undruggability was the fear of catastrophic side effects in normal tissues. However, we previously designed a dominant-negative form of MYC called Omomyc and used its conditional transgenic expression to inhibit MYC function both in vitro and in vivo. MYC inhibition by Omomyc exerted a potent therapeutic impact in various mouse models of cancer, causing only mild, well-tolerated, and reversible side effects. Nevertheless, Omomyc has been so far considered only a proof of principle. In contrast with that preconceived notion, here, we show that the purified Omomyc mini-protein itself spontaneously penetrates into can

SUBMITTER: Beaulieu ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6522349 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature