Abstract 4960: Fascin inhibitor decreases gynecological cancer cell growth through cell cycle regulation

Abstract The actin cytoskeleton is essential for maintaining cell morphology and architecture. Actin-bundling proteins such as fascin cross-link actin filaments into bundles and play critical roles in regulating cell protrusion and motility. Fascin protein expression is low or absent in normal human epithelial cells but high in cancer cells. Elevated fascin levels are correlated with aggressive clinical progression, poor prognosis, and shorter survival outcomes. It is regarded as a cancer progression biomarker and a therapeutic target. We have developed a small molecule fascin inhibitor and shown its efficacy in blocking tumor cell migration, invasion, and metastasis, as well as prolonging the overall survival of mice bearing different types of cancers. Our recent data reveals a new mechanism of this fascin inhibitor in cell cycle regulation of gynecological cancer cells. It blocks the G2/M progression and decreases the mitotic index. Fascin inhibitor treatment also results in aneuploidy, which is a well-known factor for triggering downstream apoptosis. Our data suggests that fascin is involved in maintaining the fidelity of chromosome segregation and cell division. This will advance our understanding of the interplay between actin and microtubule cytoskeleton during cell mitosis. Citation Format: Wanyi Chen, Yufeng Wang, Liangliang Ji, Ming O. Li, Xin-Yun Huang. Fascin inhibitor decreases gynecological cancer cell growth through cell cycle regulation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4960.