RL2

RL2 is a recombinant analogue of lactaptin, a proteolytic fragment derived from human milk kappa-casein. It is under investigation as a potential anticancer drug, demonstrating the ability to induce p53-independent cell death in various cultured cancer cells. Its mechanism of action involves strong activation of caspases-3 and -7, leading to the appearance of a sub-G1 population of cells with subdiploid DNA content. RL2 also constitutively suppresses bcl-2 mRNA expression and downregulates Bcl-2 protein expression. Furthermore, it induces LC3-processing, a hallmark of autophagy, and has been shown to bind to cellular targets such as α/β-tubulin and α-actinin-1. Preclinical studies in mouse xenografts bearing MDA-MB-231 cells have shown that RL2 significantly suppresses the growth of solid tumors.

Other names

recombinant analogue of lactaptin