Role of myosin heavy chain 9 in gastrointestinal tumorigenesis: A comprehensive review

Table 1 Summary of potential therapeutic drugs targeting myosin heavy chain 9 and their characteristics

Drug name	Type	Characteristics	Mechanism of action	Indication	Explanation
Blebbistatin	Small-molecule reference	High selectivity for myosin II ATPase	Binds to the ATP-binding domain of MYH9, inhibiting its function	Breast cancer, glioblastoma multiforme	As a classic myosin II inhibitor, blebbistatin inhibits MYH9 function by binding to its ATPase active domain. Research shows that it can significantly reduce tumor cell migration and metastasis in breast cancer models, but structural optimization is needed for clinical application due to phototoxicity and toxicity issues[14]
ML-7	Small-molecule reference	Myosin light chain kinase inhibitor	Inhibits MLCK, indirectly regulating MYH9 phosphorylation	Colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer	This drug indirectly regulates MYH9 phosphorylation by inhibiting MLCK, reducing tumor cell invasiveness. In pancreatic cancer models, ML-7 enhances chemotherapeutic sensitivity when used with gemcitabine[55]
CX-4945	Small-molecule reference	Targeting protein kinase	Inhibits CK2, regulating MYH9 phosphorylation and HIF-1α expression	HCC	CX-4945 inhibits phosphorylation of MYH9 at Ser1943, HIF-1α expression, and its transcriptional activity, thus suppressing tumor stemness of LR cells and enhancing lenvatinib sensitivity in HCC LR cells[56]

MYH9: Myosin heavy chain 9; MLCK: Myosin light chain kinase; HIF-1α: Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.