Mechanism of the natural product moracin-O derived MO-460 and its targeting protein hnRNPA2B1 on HIF-1α inhibition

• Main Authors: Nak-Kyun Soung, Hye-Min Kim, Yukihiro Asami, Dong Hyun Kim, Yangrae Cho, Ravi Naik, Yerin Jang, Kusic Jang, Ho Jin Han, Srinivas Rao Ganipisetti, Hyunjoo Cha-Molstad, Joonsung Hwang, Kyung Ho Lee, Sung-Kyun Ko, Jae-Hyuk Jang, In-Ja Ryoo, Yong Tae Kwon, Kyung Sang Lee, Hiroyuki Osada, Kyeong Lee, Bo Yeon Kim, Jong Seog Ahn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2019-02-01
• Series: Experimental and Molecular Medicine
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-018-0200-4
• ISSN: 1226-3613; 2092-6413

Cancer: How a plant metabolite analog suppresses tumor growth A synthetic analog of a chemical found in fruit suppresses tumor growth by targeting an RNA-binding protein (hnRNPA2B1) and preventing the production of a pro-cancer regulatory factor. Nak-Kyun Soung from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, South Korea, and coworkers built on their previous discovery that a compound derived from a medicinal plant metabolite can suppress the activity of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). This protein, which is involved in many aspects of cancer biology, is activated in the low-oxygen microenvironments found inside tumors. The researchers show that the compound binds to a protein that helps with the conversion of HIF-1α–encoding RNA transcripts into HIF-1α proteins. Liver cancer cells treated with the compound grew slowly and produced less HIF-1α under both normal and low-oxygen culture conditions, highlighting the potential of this anti-cancer strategy.