Activating mutations in GNAQ/GNA11, encoding Gαq G proteins, are initiating oncogenic events in uveal melanoma (UM). However, there are no effective therapies for UM. Using an integrated bioinformatics pipeline, we found that PTK2, encoding focal adhesion kinase (FAK), represents a candidate synthetic lethal gene with GNAQ activation. We show that Gαq activates FAK through TRIO-RhoA non-canonical Gαq-signaling, and genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of FAK inhibits UM growth. Analysis of the FAK-regulated transcriptome demonstrated that GNAQ stimulates YAP through FAK. Dissection of the underlying mechanism revealed that FAK regulates YAP by tyrosine phosphorylation of MOB1, inhibiting core Hippo signaling. Our findings establish FAK as a potential therapeutic target for UM and other Gαq-driven pathophysiologies that involve unrestrained YAP function.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2019.01.009 | DOI Listing |
Acta Pharm Sin B
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology, School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China.
encodes a DNA methyltransferase involved in development, cell differentiation, and gene transcription, which is mutated and aberrant-expressed in cancers. Here, we revealed that loss of promotes malignant phenotypes in lung cancer. Based on the epigenetic inhibitor library synthetic lethal screening, we found that small-molecule HDAC6 inhibitors selectively killed -defective NSCLC cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcetyl CoA synthetases (ACS) have emerged as drug targets for the treatment of cancer, metabolic diseases as well as fungal and parasitic infections. Although a variety of small molecule ACS inhibitors have been discovered, the systematic optimization of these molecules has been slowed by a lack of structural information regarding their mechanism of inhibition. Through a chemical genetic-based, synthetic lethal screen of the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, we identified an isoxazole-based ACS inhibitor with antifungal activity and exquisite selectivity for the C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMed
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China. Electronic address:
Background: The genomic landscape of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has been characterized extensively, but there remains a significant need for actionable targets and effective therapies.
Methods: Here, we perform integrative analysis of genome-wide loss of heterozygosity and expression to identify potential tumor suppressor genes. The functions and mechanisms of one of the candidates, TACC2, are then explored both in vitro and in vivo, leading to the proposal of a therapeutic strategy based on the concept of synthetic lethality.
CA Cancer J Clin
January 2025
Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, such as olaparib, talazoparib, rucaparib, and niraparib, comprise a therapeutic class that targets PARP proteins involved in DNA repair. Cancer cells with homologous recombination repair defects, particularly BRCA alterations, display enhanced sensitivity to these agents because of synthetic lethality induced by PARP inhibitors. These agents have significantly improved survival outcomes across various malignancies, initially gaining regulatory approval in ovarian cancer and subsequently in breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers in different indications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hepatol
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Sir Y.K. Pao Centre for Cancer, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address:
Background & Aims: The ubiquitin receptor ADRM1/Rpn13 governs the specificity of eukaryotic protein degradation. By SMRT sequencing, we first discovered a novel spliced variant of ADRM1 with a skipped exon 9, termed ADRM1-ΔEx9, in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to elucidate this novel ubiquitin receptor's underlying biology and clinical implications in HCC.
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