Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
Its scope is unique. The term "oncotarget" encompasses all molecules, pathways, cellular functions, cell types, and even tissues that can be viewed as targets relevant to cancer as well as other diseases. The term was introduced in the inaugural Editorial, Introducing Oncotarget.
As of January 1, 2022, Oncotarget has shifted to a continuous publishing model. Papers will now be published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form and then quickly released to Pubmed.
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Novel Therapeutic Strategy Against Melanoma: Combined Targeting of Hedgehog Signaling and BRD4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2023-07-19
“This evidence strengthens the relevance of the findings by Pietrobono et al., shedding light on the potential application of SMO inhibitors in concert with BRD4 inhibitors.”
The Hedgehog-GLI (HH/GLI) pathway is aberrantly activated in several types of cancer. Canonical HH/ GLI pathway is triggered by binding of HH ligands to the twelve-pass transmembrane receptor Patched 1 (PTCH1), which retrieves its inhibition on the seven-pass transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor Smoothened (SMO), leading to the activation of the GLI transcription factors. Small molecules inhibitors targeting the essential pathway transducer SMO (e.g., vismodegib, sonidegib) have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in HH-dependent tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and medulloblastoma (MB).
However, the therapeutic efficacy of these SMO antagonists is limited by the development of acquired resistance and recurrence after drug withdrawal, and by additional oncogenic signals responsible for noncanonical activation of GLI transcription factors.
In this new editorial, researchers Silvia Pietrobono and Barbara Stecca from the University of Verona and the Institute for Cancer Research and Prevention (CRL-ISPRO) state that they subscribe to the idea that targeting non-canonical HH/GLI signaling will improve the response rate and durability of therapeutic effects exerted by SMO inhibition. Therefore, they propose that identifying novel targetable regulators that function downstream of SMO, especially those acting at the transcriptional level, is critical to effectively inhibit the HH pathway and prevent tumor relapse.
“Collectively, the findings presented by Pietrobono et al. pave the path for the development of a novel therapeutic strategy in tumors having both canonical and non-canonical HH/GLI signaling activation, such as melanoma.”
About Oncotarget: Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open-access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
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