ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Protein–Protein Interactions in Human Cancer

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2027 | Viewed by 2272

Editor

State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: anticancer drug development; tumor suppressor protein

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many proteins perform their biological functions, such as transmitting signals and implementing positive or negative regulation, by interacting with other proteins. Due to genetic mutations (inherited or sporadic), proteins encoded by these genes undergo loss-of-function or gain-of-function mutations that induce changes in protein‒protein interactions and protein dysfunction, thus contributing to various diseases in humans. Therefore, a thorough understanding of protein‒protein interactions related to human diseases is crucial for both discerning the complex mechanisms by which proteins carry out their functions and developing therapeutic approaches to combat these severe diseases.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles, short communications, and reviews.

Dr. Geng Wu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protein–protein interactions
  • protein–protein complexes
  • human cancer
  • signal transduction pathways
  • protein structure and function

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

23 pages, 4999 KB  
Article
Targeted Inhibition of Colorectal Carcinoma Using a Designed CEA-Binding Protein to Deliver p53 Protein and TCF/LEF Transcription Factor Decoy DNA
by Wen Wang, Xuan Sun and Geng Wu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(20), 9846; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26209846 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1626
Abstract
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is characterized by mutations in p53 and the Wnt signaling pathway, and immunotherapy has shown limited efficacy in microsatellite-stable CRC. Here, CEABP1, a binding protein for the CRC biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), was designed de novo through the AI-based computational [...] Read more.
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is characterized by mutations in p53 and the Wnt signaling pathway, and immunotherapy has shown limited efficacy in microsatellite-stable CRC. Here, CEABP1, a binding protein for the CRC biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), was designed de novo through the AI-based computational generation methods RFDiffusion/ProteinMPNN and stringent in silico selection, for targeted delivery of purified p53 protein and transcription factor T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (LEF) transcription factor decoy (TFD) DNA into CRC cells. The cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) p28 was employed to deliver the p28-p53-CEABP1 protein, which significantly enhanced p53’s inhibition of CRC cell proliferation and xenograft tumor growth. Codelivery of the p14ARF protein together with p53 prolonged the effective antitumor duration of p53. In addition, the DNA binding domain of Max was fused with CPP and CEABP1 to deliver TCF/LEF TFD DNA, comprising concatenated consensus binding motifs for TCF/LEF and Max, into CRC cells to inhibit Wnt target gene transcription, leading to marked suppression of CRC cell proliferation and xenograft tumor growth. These findings paved the way for the development of precision anticancer therapeutics using designed binding proteins of tumor biomarkers for targeted delivery of tumor suppressor proteins and TFD DNA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein–Protein Interactions in Human Cancer)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

34 pages, 22588 KB  
Review
Current Research in Polypharmacology for Cancer Treatment Using Dual-Target Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
by Pavel Yudaev, Yulia Aleksandrova and Margarita Neganova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(15), 6604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27156604 - 24 Jul 2026
Viewed by 190
Abstract
The review covers research on dual-target antitumor agents over the past five years. One of the targets is histone deacetylases (HDACs), while the second potential target is a protein group located both on the membrane surface (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), [...] Read more.
The review covers research on dual-target antitumor agents over the past five years. One of the targets is histone deacetylases (HDACs), while the second potential target is a protein group located both on the membrane surface (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL), tyrosine protein kinase (HER2), FMS-like tyrosine kinase (FLT3), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR2)) and in the nucleus (serine/threonine protein kinase Wee1, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), dual-specificity phosphatase (CDC25A), an enzyme from the cyclin-dependent kinase family (CDK9), dual-specificity tyrosine-serine/threonine kinase (DYRK2), and BET family proteins (BRD4, BD1, and BD2)). This review presents the results of studies on the inhibitory activity of various HDAC isoforms and other enzymes, as well as in vitro cytotoxicity studies on both neoplastic and healthy cells. It also includes selectivity studies, in vivo experiments (changes in tumor volume in mice) and oral bioavailability assessments. The review also describes the chemical structures of several dual-target agents and identifies the molecular fragments responsible for inhibiting different targets. Based on the studies reviewed in this paper, it can be concluded that some dual inhibitors have superior in vitro cytotoxicity and exhibit selectivity towards some tumor cells compared to monofunctional reference compounds. These findings may be useful for molecular design in the field of polypharmacology, with the aim of developing new dual-target molecules that exhibit improved antitumor activity and selectivity towards neoplastic cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein–Protein Interactions in Human Cancer)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop