title: The drug-induced degradation of oncoproteins: an unexpected Achilles' heel of cancer cells?
abstract: Many targeted therapies against cancer are aimed at inhibiting the enzymatic activity of kinases. Thus far, this approach has undoubtedly yielded significant clinical improvements, but has only rarely achieved cures. Other drugs, which selectively elicit proteasome-dependent degradation of oncoproteins, induce the loss of cancer cell self-renewal and promote cell differentiation and/or apoptosis. In acute promyelocytic leukemia, the cooperative degradation of PML/RARA by arsenic and retinoic acid cures most patients. In this condition and others, drug-induced proteolysis of oncoproteins is feasible and underlies improved clinical outcome. Several transcription factors, nuclear receptors, or fusion proteins driving cancer growth could be candidates for proteolysis-based drug-discovery programs.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 944/7212, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ablain
authors.forename: Rihab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nasr
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bazarbachi
authors.forename: Hugues
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Thé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D059748:Proteolysis / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015513:Oncogene Proteins