As TAK1 is implicated in dual feedforward mechanisms to orchestrate the SASP development, pharmacologically targeting TAK1 deprives cancer cells of resistance acquired from treatment-damaged stromal cells in vitro and substantially promotes tumour regression in vivo.
The newly described inhibitors constitute useful tools for further development of multi-targeting TAK1-centered inhibitors for cancer and other diseases.
TAK1 (transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1) is an essential intracellular mediator of cytokine and growth factor signaling and a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of immune diseases and cancer.
As inhibition of TAK1 has been proposed to reduce chemoresistance and increase sensitivity to chemotherapy in certain types of cancer, modulation of POPX2 levels may provide an additional avenue and consideration in fine-tuning therapeutic response.
Collectively, our results demonstrate that constitutive activation of TAK1 is frequently found in human breast cancer and this kinase is a potential therapeutic target for this cancer.