Metabolic enzymes regulated by the Myc oncogene are possible targets for chemotherapy or chemoprevention.

The Myc oncogenes are dysregulated in 70% of human cancers. They encode transcription factors that bind to E-box sequences in DNA, driving the expression of a vast amount of target genes. The biological outcome is enhanced proliferation (which is counteracted by apoptosis), angiogenesis and cancer. Based on the biological effects of Myc overexpression it was originally assumed that the important Myc target genes are those encoding components of the cell cycle machinery. Recent work has challenged this notion and indicates that Myc target genes encoding metabolic enzymes deserve attention, as they may be critical arbiters of Myc in cancer. Thus targeting metabolic enzymes encoded by Myc-target genes may provide a new means to treat cancer that have arisen in response to deregulated Myc oncogenes.