An unexpected function of a cell-cycle enzyme might explain the toxic effects of its inhibitors

A previously unknown mechanism required for cells to start proliferating has been identified. A combination of mathematical modelling and cell-based experiments shows that the enzyme WEE1 switches off a protein-degradation complex to allow cell proliferation to start, with implications for WEE1 inhibitors currently in trials for cancer treatments.

Publication Details

Journal
Nature
Published
2026-10-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03288-5
Primary Topic
Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

An unexpected function of a cell-cycle enzyme might explain the toxic effects of its inhibitors

Nature
Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
article

An unexpected function of a cell-cycle enzyme might explain the toxic effects of its inhibitors

article en

Abstract

A previously unknown mechanism required for cells to start proliferating has been identified. A combination of mathematical modelling and cell-based experiments shows that the enzyme WEE1 switches off a protein-degradation complex to allow cell proliferation to start, with implications for WEE1 inhibitors currently in trials for cancer treatments.

Nature
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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An unexpected function of a cell-cycle enzyme might explain the toxic effects of its inhibitors · Nature (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS