Molecular Dynamics of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) Protein and Its Inhibitors: A Special Insight to Colorectal Cancer

• Published in: Critical reviews in oncogenesis Vol. 30; no. 1; p. 91
• Main Authors: Kumari, Rina, Ghava, Dilip, Rathod, Rajeshwari, Panda, Amrita Kumari, Kumar, Sunil, Behera, Santosh Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2025
• Subjects: Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein - antagonists & inhibitors; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein - chemistry; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein - genetics; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein - metabolism; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Colorectal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colorectal Neoplasms - genetics; Colorectal Neoplasms - metabolism; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Mutation; Wnt Signaling Pathway - drug effects
• ISSN: 0893-9675
• DOI: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.v30.i1.110

Colorectal cancer (CRC) initiates in colon or rectum is named as colon or rectal cancer, based on the site of inception. Various genetic alterations responsible for CRC include several signaling pathways. The Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway is the vital pathway which involved in the cancer pathogenesis. The hallmark of human CRC is adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a negative regulator of the Wnt pathway. Mutations in the APC gene is a critical event in the development of human CRC which may lead to overexpression and stabilization of β-catenin that enters into the nucleus and helps in cancer cell proliferation. Significant obstacles to the therapeutic intervention of the Wnt signaling system still exist, despite promising approaches for the development of anti-cancer medicines targeting this route. The advent of computational techniques for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and drug development has spurred the researchers to explore CRC at an early stage. This report had unzipped the importance of APC in Wnt signaling pathway associated with current advances and challenges in drug discovery for CRC. A combinatorial computational approach identified the potential anti-cancerous drug among XL888, 5-bromouracil, 5-fluorouracil, and Ganetespib against APC which is often treated as gatekeeper of CRC. This in silico investigation revealed Ganetespib as a potential anti-cancerous drug against APC for CRC therapeutics, which will be an alternative to chemotherapy. In vitro and in vivo studies are needed further to confirm the efficiency and evaluate potency of Ganetespib against the target.