Mitochondrial Protease ClpP in Antitumor-Drug Development: Recent Advances and Challenges
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2024 | Viewed by 414
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cancer; high-grade glioma; small-molecule targeted drugs; protease modulators; cell-based assay; medicinal chemistry
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Much of medicinal chemistry research on cancer focuses on targeted drugs that can specifically target tumor cells, sparing normal ones, thus having high potency and low toxicity. Particularly, small molecules as targeted drugs have advantages in pharmacokinetic properties, costs, patient compliance, and drug storage and transportation; thus, they are still undergoing significant development.
Cancer cells rely heavily on mitochondria to meet their high energy demands to fuel their rapid proliferation. Mitochondrial chaperone and protease proteins crucial for mitochondrial proteostasis are overexpressed in most tumor types, and are involved in metabolic reprogramming that allows for the evasion of apoptosis and increased survival.
Among the effectors of mitochondrial proteostasis, mitochondrial matrix serine proteases caseinolytic peptidase P (ClpP) is a key inducer of mitochondrial protein quality control for the clearance of misfolded or damaged proteins, which is necessary for maintaining mitochondrial functions. Elevated activities of ClpP are correlated with tumor development and progression. ClpP dysregulation has already been associated with many types of cancer localized in brain, breast, prostate, bladder, ovarian, gastric, colorectal, liver, lung, pancreatic and blood.
Small molecules that target ClpP by either inhibiting or dysregulating (activating) its function have been explored as potential anticancer drugs and could represent a novel approach in oncology.Authors are invited to submit original and review articles on the outcomes of their research that contribute to the understanding of ClpP as a potential therapeutic drug target in cancer. This Special Issue of Pharmaceuticals aims to bring together the research of experts working with ClpP to create a learning network that could increase knowledge on this mitochondrial serine protease, thus identifying future directions in cancer therapy. I look forward to your valuable contribution.
Dr. Maria Grazia Perrone
Dr. Morena Miciaccia
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- caseinolytic peptidase P (ClpP)
- mitochondrial protein quality control
- small molecules as targeted drugs
- cancer therapy
- high-grade glioma
- breast cancer
- prostate adenocarcinoma
- hematological malignancies
- bladder cancer
- ovarian cancer
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
