The transcription factor Myc drives cell growth across animal phyla and is activated in most forms of human cancer. In this work, we show that mutation of Myc binding site (E-box) in just one of its targets, Peter Pan, makes Drosophila resistant to Myc-induced cell growth without affecting Myc-induced apoptosis. The ppanEbox-/- flies are healthy and display only a minor developmental delay, suggesting that it may be possible to treat or prevent tumorigenesis by targeting individual downstream targets of Myc.
