title: Ras chaperones: new targets for cancer and immunotherapy.
abstract: The Ras inhibitor S-trans,trans-farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS, Salirasib®) interferes with Ras membrane interactions that are crucial for Ras-dependent signaling and cellular transformation. FTS had been successfully evaluated in clinical trials of cancer patients. Interestingly, its effect is mediated by targeting Ras chaperones that serve as key coordinators for Ras proper folding and delivery, thus offering a novel target for cancer therapy. The development of new FTS analogs has revealed that the specific modifications to the FTS carboxyl group by esterification and amidation yielded compounds with improved growth inhibitory activity. When FTS was combined with additional therapeutic agents its activity toward Ras was significantly augmented. FTS should be tested not only in cancer but also for genetic diseases associated with abnormal Ras signaling, as well as for various inflammatory and autoimmune disturbances, where Ras plays a major role. We conclude that FTS has a great potential both as a safe anticancer drug and as a promising immune modulator agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: kloog@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yoel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kloog
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Galit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elad-Sfadia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haklai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA; Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005204:Farnesol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D012459:Salicylates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D012459:Salicylates; C093323:farnesylthiosalicylic acid; D005204:Farnesol; D018631:ras Proteins
keywords: Cancer; FTS; FTS amides; FTS esters; Inflammation; Rare diseases; Ras