Back

Inhibition of therapy-resistant and metastatic melanoma by targeting the translation initiation complex

Feng, Y.; Diaz Olea, X.; Radaeva, M.; Amiri, M.; Joo, H.; Kim, H.; Ke, X.; Deshpande, A.; Olson, S.; Jovanovic, P.; Pass, I.; Deng, Q.; Lazar, I.; Murad, R.; Molinolo, A.; Sergienko, E.; Villaneuva, J.; Topisirovic, I.; Jackson, M.; Ferrone, C.; Sonenberg, N.; Cherkasov, A.; Ronai, Z. A.

2025-07-16 cancer biology
10.1101/2024.11.20.624566 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Elevated expression of components of the translation initiation complex (eIF4F) is frequent in cancer and results in enhanced synthesis of oncogenic proteins. Given its essentiality in normal tissues, targeting eIF4F is challenging. Here, combining chemical and in silico screens, we identified a small molecule (M19 and its analog M19-6) that targets the MA3 domain of the eIF4F subunit eIF4G1, interferes with eIF4F assembly and alleviates melanoma resistance to BRAF and MEK inhibitors. Ribosome profiling revealed that the M19-6 selectively perturbs the melanoma translatome, limiting synthesis of factors that promote cell proliferation and neoplastic growth. Screens in melanoma models revealed that M19-6 synergizes with autophagy or HDAC inhibitors in cell culture and potentiates anti-neoplastic and anti-metastatic effects of doxorubicin in vivo. Overall, we describe a novel eIF4F complex inhibitor that offers a new therapeutic modality to target clinically challenging melanomas and could provide a molecular basis for combination with currently employed therapies.

Matching journals

The top 5 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.

1
Cell Chemical Biology
94 papers in training set
Top 0.1%
18.9%
2
Nature Communications
5641 papers in training set
Top 11%
15.4%
3
Cell Reports
1498 papers in training set
Top 2%
9.9%
4
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2444 papers in training set
Top 8%
5.7%
5
Nature Cancer
39 papers in training set
Top 0.2%
5.6%
50% of probability mass above
6
Cancer Research
130 papers in training set
Top 0.8%
4.4%
7
Science Advances
1243 papers in training set
Top 11%
3.2%
8
eLife
5828 papers in training set
Top 38%
2.7%
9
Cell Reports Medicine
153 papers in training set
Top 1%
2.4%
10
Communications Biology
993 papers in training set
Top 13%
1.8%
11
Scientific Reports
3612 papers in training set
Top 54%
1.7%
12
Science
477 papers in training set
Top 5%
1.7%
13
ACS Chemical Biology
167 papers in training set
Top 2%
1.5%
14
ACS Central Science
71 papers in training set
Top 0.9%
1.4%
15
Nature
645 papers in training set
Top 9%
1.1%
16
iScience
1154 papers in training set
Top 29%
1.1%
17
Cell Genomics
172 papers in training set
Top 3%
1.1%
18
EMBO Molecular Medicine
95 papers in training set
Top 2%
1.0%
19
Cancer Discovery
66 papers in training set
Top 2%
0.9%
20
Molecular Therapy
81 papers in training set
Top 2%
0.9%
21
Cancer Cell
42 papers in training set
Top 1%
0.6%
22
Cell
431 papers in training set
Top 11%
0.6%
23
Cancer Research Communications
51 papers in training set
Top 2%
0.6%
24
Molecular Cell
350 papers in training set
Top 5%
0.6%
25
Oncogene
85 papers in training set
Top 2%
0.6%