The Fanconi anemia ubiquitin E3 ligase complex as an anti-cancer target

• Published in: Molecular cell Vol. 81; no. 11; pp. 2278 - 2289
• Main Authors: Sharp, Michael F., Bythell-Douglas, Rohan, Deans, Andrew J., Crismani, Wayne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 03.06.2021
• ISSN: 1097-2765; 1097-4164
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.04.023

Agents that induce DNA damage can cure some cancers. However, the side effects of chemotherapy are severe because of the indiscriminate action of DNA-damaging agents on both healthy and cancerous cells. DNA repair pathway inhibition provides a less toxic and targeted alternative to chemotherapy. A compelling DNA repair target is the Fanconi anemia (FA) E3 ligase core complex due to its critical—and likely singular—role in the efficient removal of specific DNA lesions. FA pathway inactivation has been demonstrated to specifically kill some types of cancer cells without the addition of exogenous DNA damage, including cells that lack BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or functionally related genes. In this perspective, we discuss the genetic and biochemical evidence in support of the FA core complex as a compelling drug target for cancer therapy. In particular, we discuss the genetic, biochemical, and structural data that could rapidly advance our capacity to identify and implement the use of FA core complex inhibitors in the clinic. The Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway is intensively studied for its role in human disease. Sharp et al. review the evidence for targeting the ubiquitin ligase function of the pathway for the development of novel anti-cancer treatments.