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FOXM1: a potential therapeutic target in human solid cancers.
Soheila Borhani1, Andrei L Gartel1
1Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets
|February 19, 2020
Summary
The study reviews novel targets and pathways of the FOXM1 protein, a key driver in human solid cancers. Targeting FOXM1 and its feedback loop with AKT offers new anti-cancer drug development strategies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Genetics
Background:
- Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) is frequently overexpressed in human solid tumors.
- FOXM1 plays a crucial role in cell proliferation, DNA repair, and mitosis, contributing to oncogenesis.
- Understanding FOXM1's regulatory networks is vital for developing targeted cancer therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel direct transcriptional targets of FOXM1.
- To elucidate new oncogenic pathways regulated by FOXM1.
- To discuss the FOXM1/AKT positive feedback loop in cancer.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies published in the last 5 years.
- Analysis of FOXM1 transcriptional targets across 16 human cancer types.
- Examination of molecular pathways and feedback loops involving FOXM1 and AKT.
Main Results:
- Identification of numerous FOXM1 direct transcriptional targets implicated in various cancers.
- Elucidation of novel oncogenic mechanisms driven by FOXM1.
- Characterization of a positive feedback loop between FOXM1 and AKT, master regulators of cancer.
Conclusions:
- Newly identified FOXM1 targets offer alternative strategies to inhibit its pro-cancer activity.
- Targeting the FOXM1/AKT feedback loop presents a promising dual-action approach for novel anti-cancer drug development.
- Despite existing FOXM1 inhibitors, novel therapeutic strategies are needed due to off-target effects.
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