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Author Spotlight: Developing Novel Anticancer Therapeutics Targeting the DNA Damage Response
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Author Spotlight: Developing Novel Anticancer Therapeutics Targeting the DNA Damage Response

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Targeting the DNA Repair Enzyme Polymerase θ in Cancer Therapy

Anna Schrempf1, Jana Slyskova1, Joanna I Loizou1

  • 1CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH BT 25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Trends in Cancer
|October 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Polymerase θ (POLQ) is a DNA repair enzyme upregulated in cancers. Inhibiting POLQ offers a promising targeted therapy strategy, especially for homologous recombination-deficient cancers, with clinical trials commencing.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Targeted cancer therapies offer personalized treatment by inhibiting cancer-specific alterations.
  • Polymerase θ (POLQ), a DNA polymerase involved in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, is frequently upregulated in various cancers.
  • POLQ's role in DNA repair pathways makes it a critical factor in cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evolving understanding of Polymerase θ (POLQ) from a DNA repair enzyme to a potential cancer therapeutic target.
  • To highlight the significance of POLQ in homologous recombination-deficient cancers.
  • To discuss the development of POLQ inhibitors for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific publications on Polymerase θ (POLQ) and its role in cancer.
  • Analysis of POLQ's function in DNA repair mechanisms, particularly DSB repair.
  • Examination of the synthetic lethality of POLQ with key DNA repair genes like BRCA1/2.

Main Results:

  • Polymerase θ (POLQ) is upregulated in cancer and plays a role in DNA repair.
  • POLQ exhibits synthetic lethality with homologous recombination repair genes (e.g., BRCA1/2).
  • This synthetic lethality is particularly relevant in homologous recombination-deficient cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Polymerase θ (POLQ) is a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment.
  • Development of POLQ inhibitors is advancing, with clinical trials initiated.
  • Targeting POLQ represents a significant step towards personalized cancer therapy.
Keywords:
double-strand break repairpolymerase theta-mediated end joiningsynthetic lethalitytargeted cancer therapy

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