Targeting “undruggable” c-Myc protein by synthetic lethality

Chen Wang; Hui Fang; Jiawei Zhang; Ying Gu

doi:10.1007/s11684-020-0780-y

Front. Med. ›› 2021, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (4) : 541 -550. DOI: 10.1007/s11684-020-0780-y

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Targeting “undruggable” c-Myc protein by synthetic lethality

Chen Wang ¹^,²^,³
, Hui Fang ²
, Jiawei Zhang ¹^,^†
, Ying Gu ¹^,²^,³^,^†

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Abstract

Synthetic lethal screening, which exploits the combination of mutations that result in cell death, is a promising method for identifying novel drug targets. This method provides a new avenue for targeting “undruggable” proteins, such as c-Myc. Here, we revisit current methods used to target c-Myc and discuss the important functional nodes related to c-Myc in non-oncogene addicted network, whose inhibition may cause a catastrophe for tumor cell destiny but not for normal cells. We further discuss strategies to identify these functional nodes in the context of synthetic lethality. We review the progress and shortcomings of this research field and look forward to opportunities offered by synthetic lethal screening to treat tumors potently.

Keywords

synthetic lethality / undruggable / transcription factor / c-Myc

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Chen Wang, Hui Fang, Jiawei Zhang, Ying Gu. Targeting “undruggable” c-Myc protein by synthetic lethality. Front. Med., 2021, 15(4): 541-550 DOI:10.1007/s11684-020-0780-y