Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41171914›Full record

ArticleScience advances2025

Mechanism-based peroxiredoxin 3 inhibitors exploit a covalent warhead for cancer therapy.

Kimberly J Nelson, Terrence L Smalley, Terri Messier, Rajesh Gumpena, Uma Gandhi, Stephanie Milczarek, Aida Habibovic, Hattie Hoffman, Victoria Gibson, Robert J Hondal and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Kimberly J NelsonDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2464-7696
Terrence L SmalleyDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5809-5864
Terri MessierDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4381-5694
Rajesh GumpenaDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
Uma GandhiDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
Stephanie MilczarekDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0933-9065
Aida HabibovicDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Hattie HoffmanDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
Victoria GibsonDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Robert J HondalDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1466-2852
W Todd LowtherDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Structural Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0246-1295
Brian CunniffDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Vermont Cancer Center, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6035-2134

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Covalent inhibitors that are approved and marketed drugs exploit a wide array of warheads and reactions with amino acid side chain-based nucleophiles. Thiostrepton (TS) inhibits the peroxidase activity of the mitochondrial antioxidant protein peroxiredoxin 3 by forming a covalent crosslink between the two active site cysteine residues. Peroxiredoxin 3 inactivation increases reactive oxygen species levels, induces cancer cell death in preclinical models, and shows promise in an ongoing clinical trial for malignant mesothelioma using direct pleural infusion. We report the identification of the minimal fragment of TS that contains tandem dehydro-alanine (DHA) moieties and maintains anticancer activity while losing interactions with three alternative targets of intact TS. Biochemical, kinetic, cellular, and structural studies demonstrate that this fragment is a mechanism-based peroxiredoxin inhibitor. These findings represent a promising start toward a pro-oxidant approach for cancer therapy. Moreover, the data support that the DHA moiety should be added to the covalent warhead arsenal.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsEnzyme InhibitorsNeoplasmsPeroxiredoxin IIICell Line, TumorHumansModels, MolecularReactive Oxygen SpeciesAntineoplastic AgentsEnzyme InhibitorsPeroxiredoxin IIIReactive Oxygen Species

Identifiers

PMID41171914
PMCPMC12577686

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.