ArticleCell death and differentiation2021
Breast cancer dependence on MCL-1 is due to its canonical anti-apoptotic function.
Article in Cell death and differentiation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Overcoming ABT-737 resistance in triple-negative breast cancer: C-phycocyanin-mediated myeloid cell leukemia-1 downregulation enhances apoptotic sensitivity.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Ginsenoside Compound K Mitigates Mitochondrial Fission Through Bile Acid Receptors/YAP Signaling to Counteract Podocyte Injury in Lupus Nephritis.Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2026Article
- CDK8 Inhibition Increases E2F1 Transcriptional Activity and Promotes STAT3-Dependent Suppression of Mcl-1 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-468.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Disrupting CDK9 activity suppresses triple-negative breast cancer and is enhanced by EGFR Inhibition.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial biology and immune crosstalk in breast cancer: therapeutic opportunities and challenges.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Pitavastatin is a novel Mcl-1 inhibitor that overcomes paclitaxel resistance in triple-negative breast cancer.Experimental hematology & oncology · 2025Article
- Co-Targeting BCL-xL with MCL-1 Induces Lethal Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diffuse Mesothelioma.Molecular cancer therapeutics · 2025Article
- Inhibition of MCL-1 and MEK Overcomes MEK Inhibitor Resistance in Triple-Negative and Inflammatory Breast Cancers.Molecular cancer therapeutics · 2025Article
- Metabolic adaptations of micrometastases alter EV production to generate invasive microenvironments.The Journal of cell biology · 2025Article
- Cell death and cancer: Metabolic interconnections.Cell reports · 2025Review
- PILRA serves as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and modulates the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response in breast cancer.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Novel kinase regulators of extracellular matrix internalisation identified by high-content screening modulate invasive carcinoma cell migration.PLoS biology · 2024Article
- Low BCL-xL expression in triple-negative breast cancer cells favors chemotherapy efficacy, and this effect is limited by cancer-associated fibroblasts.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Multi-omic profiling of simultaneous ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2024Article
- SETDB1-mediated CD147-K71 di-methylation promotes cell apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.Genes & diseases · 2024Article
- Host-derived growth factors drive ERK phosphorylation and MCL1 expression to promote osteosarcoma cell survival during metastatic lung colonization.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Article
- EGR3 and estrone are involved in the tamoxifen resistance and progression of breast cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Article
- Targeting Mitochondria with ClpP Agonists as a Novel Therapeutic Opportunity in Breast Cancer.Cancers · 2023Review
- Discovering the Biological Significance and Therapeutic Potential of miR-29b-3p in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
High levels of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member MCL-1 are frequently found in breast cancer and, appropriately, BH3-mimetic drugs that specifically target MCL-1's function in apoptosis are in development as anti-cancer therapy. MCL-1 also has reported non-canonical roles that may be relevant in its tumour-promoting effect. Here we investigate the role of MCL-1 in clinically relevant breast cancer models and address whether the canonical role of MCL-1 in apoptosis, which can be targeted using BH3-mimetic drugs, is the major function for MCL-1 in breast cancer. We show that MCL-1 is essential in established tumours with genetic deletion inducing tumour regression and inhibition with the MCL-1-specific BH3-mimetic drug S63845 significantly impeding tumour growth. Importantly, we found that the anti-tumour functions achieved by MCL-1 deletion or inhibition were completely dependent on pro-apoptotic BAX/BAK. Interestingly, we find that MCL-1 is also critical for stem cell activity in human breast cancer cells and high MCL1 expression correlates with stemness markers in tumours. This strongly supports the idea that the key function of MCL-1 in breast cancer is through its anti-apoptotic function. This has important implications for the future use of MCL-1-specific BH3-mimetic drugs in breast cancer treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.