Unfolded protein response activates MYC in prostate cancer

A European team has linked the unfolded protein response to MYC signaling, lending weight to oncology strategies targeting the IRE1/XBP1 pathway, and identified prostate cancer as another indication for XBP1 inhibitors.

A U.S. team including Quentis Therapeutics Inc. (New York, N.Y.) researchers has shown that upon endoplasmic reticulum stress, an unfolded protein response protein dubbed IRE1 activates transcription factor XBP1 to suppress T cell antitumor activity by limiting mitochondrial function. That team's work suggested that targeting XBP1 could help treat ovarian cancer (see "Quentis Links ER Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction with Antitumor T Cell Activity")...