| First Author | Lui JW | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | J Cancer | Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 1-10 |
| PubMed ID | 30662519 | Mgi Jnum | J:307277 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6719744 | Doi | 10.7150/jca.27472 |
| Citation | Lui JW, et al. (2019) The Efficiency of Verteporfin as a Therapeutic Option in Pre-Clinical Models of Melanoma. J Cancer 10(1):1-10 |
| abstractText | Yes Associated Protein 1 (YAP) and Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-Binding Motif (TAZ) have gained notoriety for their ability to drive tumor initiation and progression in a wide variety of cancers, including melanoma. YAP and TAZ act as drivers of melanoma through its interaction with the TEAD family of transcription factors. Verteporfin is a benzoporphyrin derivative that is used clinically for photodynamic treatment of macular degeneration. Recently it has emerged as a potential inhibitor of YAP/TAZ-TEAD interaction independent of light activation. In this study we determine if verteporfin has clinical potential by testing this compound on human melanoma cell cultures and in a clinically significant mouse model, Braf(CA); Tyr-CreERT2; Pten(f/f), which parallels human melanoma in terms of disease progression, genetics, and histopathology. In culture, Verteporfin treatment induces a rapid drop in YAP and TAZ protein levels and cell numbers. In the transgenic model, utilizing drug levels that correspond to previously determined safe doses in human patients and with a dosing regimen calculated in this study, Verteporfin did not inhibit melanoma initiation or progression in comparison to mock treated controls. Taken together, our study suggests that although Verteporfin induces YAP/TAZ degradation in melanoma cell lines, Verteporfin was not effective as a YAP/TAZ-TEAD specific inhibitor of melanoma in our studies that aimed to mimic conditions found in clinic in terms of treatment regimen and disease model. |
