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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jun 13.
Published in final edited form as: Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2017 Jan 5;81:257–267. doi: 10.1101/sqb.2016.81.031096

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Schematic of a focused RNAi screen for genes encoding known drug targets. By screening a custom library of short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) directed toward known drug targets in a genetically defined Myc-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model, we identified CDK9—a key component of the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) complex—as required for MYC-overexpressing HCC. Results from shRNA-mediated and pharmacological CDK9 inhibition together highlight the relevance of transcription elongation in the addiction of cancer cells to MYC and suggest that targeting MYC-mediated transcription elongation can be an effective strategy for the treatment of MYC-overexpressing tumors.