Toward a New Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: Structural and Functional Mechanism of the Retinoid Receptors Addressed by a Novel Computer Approach
Abstract
Estrogen receptor modulators represent the most widely employed therapy for breast cancer. However, resistance of some tumor cells to this treatment and other side effects result in a need to improve therapeutic strategies. Retinoids, which are known to inhibit the growth of a wide variety of cancer cells, including breast cancer cells, bind to cognate members of a large family of Nuclear Receptors, which activate or repress transcription in a ligand-dependent manner. Two types of retinoid receptors have been identified: the Retinoid Acid Receptor (RAR) and the Retinoid X Receptor (RXR). Retinoids exert their anticancer activities both in estrogen receptor-positive and -negative cells, mainly through their abilities to modulate the growth, differentiation, and apoptosis of tumor cells: In spite of their therapeutic potential, their clinical use is so far limited, because of toxic side effects. The identification of structural motifs of small molecule modulators of the retinoid receptors is critical for the development of novel ligands with improved toxicity profiles, which could lead the way towards a new generation of drugs against breast cancer. Our goal is to use state-of-the-art computer modeling technologies to identify the structural determinants of retinoids which confer them their receptor selectivity and their agonist or antagonist activity, and rationally design molecules with various affinities for the RARs and the RXRs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADB282227
Entities
People
- Ruben A. Abagyan
Organizations
- Scripps Research