BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Therapeutics: Methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A); protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5); RIO kinase 1 (RIOK1); methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (

April 21, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Cell culture and mouse studies suggest inhibiting the MAT2A/PRMT5/RIOK1 axis could help treat MTAP-deficient colon cancer. In a human MTAP-deficient colon cancer cell line, shRNA targeting MAT2A, PRMT5 or RIOK1 decreased growth compared with scrambled shRNA. In a xenograft mouse model of MTAP-deficient colon cancer and an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of MTAP-deficient colon cancer, shRNA targeting MAT2A decreased tumor growth. Next steps by Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. could include identifying and testing inhibitors of the MAT2A/PRMT5/RIOK1 axis in the models. ...