Unified Framework Explains Key Cancer Driver
Researchers have identified a regulatory mechanism involving the PVT1 locus that enables the MYC gene to drive aggressive cancer growth. This discovery offers a new potential target for treating cancers previously considered undruggable.
Why it matters
Understanding the MYC gene's master regulation could lead to breakthroughs in treating a wide range of aggressive, treatment-resistant tumors.
In a rare pair of papers published back-to-back in the journal Genes & Development, research teams led by senior author Anindya Bagchi, PhD, associate professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, establish a unified framework that governs one of cancer's most powerful master regulators.
The MYC gene is among the most frequently altered driver genes in human cancer, with its deregulation implicated in more than half of all cases. It acts as a master regulator controlling cell growth, division and metabolism. When overactive, MYC forces cells into rapid, uncontrolled tumor growth and drives aggressive, treatment-resistant cancers across virtually all tumor types, from solid tumors like breast and lung to blood cancers like leukemia.
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