Oncogenes articles from across Nature Portfolio

The mechanism underlying YAP/TAZ transactivation remains to be explored. Here the authors report that the hydrophobic transcriptional activation domains of YAP/TAZ exert dual functions on transcriptional initiation and elongation through interactions with TAF4 and MED15, which could be targeted for anti-cancer therapy.

Translational control is emerging as a key regulator of cancer. The RNA-binding protein PABPC1 is shown to drive chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) by enhancing the translation of pro-oncogenic mRNAs through the formation of biomolecular condensates. Small molecules that target PABPC1 show promise in treating therapy-resistant CML.

Although enhancing the GTPase activity of KRAS is an attractive approach to inhibit constitutively active, GTP-bound mutant KRAS, so far this has not been achieved. Now, a RAS inhibitor thought to act by preventing engagement of downstream effectors is shown to also reactivate cycling to the inactive GDP-bound state.

Layered control of oncogenic protein dosage enables the hallmarks of cancer, but specific regulators of oncogene mRNA translation remain unknown. A study now reports RMB42 as a regulator of the MYC by remodelling its RNA structure and increasing translation efficiency, highlighting a potential therapeutic avenue to target MYC-driven cancers.