Cancer Treatment Strategies by Targeting the Oncoprotein c-Myc / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

ABSTRACT

c-Myc is a transcription factor involved in the Myc/Max/Mxd signal regulatory network. c-Myc plays important roles in human development and the oncogenesis or progression of different types of tumors. Current studies have shown that c-Myc mutations or expression changes are present in more than 70% of tumors. Therefore, c-Myc-targeted inhibitors might become a new strategy for tumor therapy. Currently, there is no clinical treatment for targeting c-Myc. With the continuous study aiming at the c-Myc targeted clinical application, Omomyc has become a representative c-Myc inhibitor by direct inhibition of c-Myc in tumors, which may be a feasible clinical treatment strategy. Although targeting c-Myc has broad prospects in cancer treatment, direct inhibition of c-Myc still has many risks and challenges. Therefore, in this review, firstly, we will summarize the regulatory network and biological functions of c-Myc in cells. Secondly, the potential significance of targeting c-Myc or its homologues in tumor therapy will be discussed. Additionally, the challenges faced by c-Myc as a potential therapeutic target in clinical application will be summarized. Finally, we will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of some c-Myc inhibitors that have been discovered to date, such as small molecule inhibitors and protein and peptide inhibitors, therefore providing the theoretical basis for c-Myc targeted clinical therapy in cancer.