Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Techniques to Induce and Quantify Cellular Senescence
06:51

Techniques to Induce and Quantify Cellular Senescence

Published on: May 1, 2017

35.1K

New KAT6 inhibitors induce senescence and arrest cancer growth

Fei Huang1

  • 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, China.

Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology
|November 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified a novel anti-cancer drug that induces cancer cell senescence, halting tumor growth in preclinical models. This approach offers a promising alternative to chemotherapy, avoiding DNA damage and side effects.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) regulate protein acetylation, a key modification in disease.
  • Histone acetyltransferases (HATs), a KAT subclass, are crucial for chromatin regulation and implicated in various cancers.
  • KAT6A and KAT6B are MYST family HATs targeted in chromosomal translocations in leukemia and other cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discover and develop novel anti-cancer therapeutics targeting KAT6A and KAT6B.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of a new class of drugs in inducing cancer cell senescence and arresting tumor growth.

Main Methods:

  • High-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry optimization.
  • In-cell assays and biochemical assessment of target engagement.
  • Preclinical testing in mouse and fish tumor models.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of a new class of anti-cancer drugs inducing cancer cell senescence.
  • Demonstrated promise in arresting tumor growth in preclinical models of blood and liver cancers.
  • Showed potential to delay or stop relapse without DNA damage or chemotherapy-like side effects.

Conclusions:

  • Inhibition of KAT6A and KAT6B presents a viable therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.
  • The newly discovered drugs offer a novel approach to cancer therapy by inducing senescence.
  • This research highlights a promising, less toxic alternative to traditional cancer treatments.

More Related Videos

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells09:18

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells

Published on: August 2, 2013

21.3K
Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity09:32

Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity

Published on: October 17, 2025

487

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a...
11.0K
Replicative Cell Senescence02:15

Replicative Cell Senescence

Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds...
4.4K
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers01:51

Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
7.0K
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
28.6K
Meristems and Plant Growth02:36

Meristems and Plant Growth

Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.
49.5K
Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors01:23

Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) is a serine protease widely distributed in the body. It's involved in the inactivation of GLP-1 and GIP hormones, which are crucial for insulin regulation. DPP-4 inhibitors, such as sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin (Tradjenta), alogliptin (Nesina), and vildagliptin (Galvus), help increase the proportion of active GLP-1, enhancing insulin secretion. These inhibitors work by competitively binding to DPP-4. This binding causes a...
669