New AML drug target discovered: CCDC137 fuels leukemia growth by stabilizing a cancer-promoting protein.
CCDC137 is overexpressed in AML and correlates with poor prognosis. CCDC137 stabilizes S100A6 protein, which then activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway driving AML cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. This CCDC137→S100A6→PI3K/AKT axis is a novel AML therapeutic target.
New AML drug target discovered: CCDC137 fuels leukemia growth by stabilizing a cancer-promoting protein.
CCDC137 is overexpressed in AML and correlates with poor prognosis. CCDC137 stabilizes S100A6 protein, which then activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway driving AML cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. This CCDC137→S100A6→PI3K/AKT axis is a novel AML therapeutic target.
Key Findings
- CCDC137 overexpressed in AML; correlates with poor prognosis
- CCDC137 stabilizes S100A6 protein by preventing its degradation
- Stable S100A6 activates PI3K/AKT pathway
- CCDC137 promotes AML cell proliferation and cell cycle progression
- Novel therapeutic target identified for AML-specific therapy
Implications
Targeting CCDC137-S100A6-PI3K/AKT axis could provide a new therapeutic approach in AML, especially in combination with existing PI3K/AKT inhibitors.
Caveats
Preclinical cell line and mechanistic study; abstract-only. In vivo models and patient-derived AML samples needed for validation.
Source: Journal of leukocyte biology — 2026-04-02