FANCC inhibitors comprise a diverse group of compounds that indirectly influence the functional capacity of FANCC by affecting the DNA damage response and repair mechanisms in which it is involved. These inhibitors do not directly bind or alter FANCC but instead exert their effects by increasing the amount of DNA damage or by compromising the cellular processes that are prerequisites for the FA pathway's proper function. By doing so, they put a strain on the FA pathway, of which FANCC is a critical component, potentially leading to a functional inhibition of the protein.
These compounds can be grouped based on their primary mechanisms of action, which include DNA crosslinking agents, DNA synthesis inhibitors, kinase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. DNA crosslinking agents generate lesions that are substrates for the FA pathway; overloading this repair system can indirectly impede FANCC activity. Kinase inhibitors disrupt the signaling cascades that activate the FA pathway, possibly leading to a functional inhibition of FANCC. Proteasome inhibitors can indirectly impair FANCC by causing an accumulation of damaged proteins that may sequester components of the DNA repair machinery, including those of the FA pathway. Furthermore, PARP inhibitors trap PARP enzymes on DNA and prevent their normal function in signaling and repair, leading to an increase in DNA breaks and replication forks collapse. This heightened level of genomic instability can indirectly challenge the FA pathway and the role of FANCC within it.