ICMT shRNA

ICMT shRNA is a gene-silencing research tool and potential therapeutic candidate designed to knock down the expression of isoprenylcysteine carboxylmethyltransferase (ICMT). ICMT is an enzyme that catalyzes the post-translational carboxylmethylation of oncogenic proteins, including Ras and other small GTPases, which is essential for their proper localization and function. Delivered via a lentiviral vector, this short hairpin RNA (shRNA) inhibits ICMT, leading to mitochondrial respiratory deficiency and cellular energy depletion. In pancreatic cancer models, this inhibition triggers a signaling cascade involving the upregulation of p21 and the induction of BNIP3, ultimately resulting in apoptosis. Unlike in prostate and liver cancers where ICMT inhibition may induce autophagy, research suggests that in pancreatic cancer, the primary mechanism of cell death is apoptosis.

Other names

shRNA-targeting ICMTlentivirus expressing ICMT shRNA