Compositions and methods for treating cancer by inhibiting mitochondrial stress-induced protein carboxyl-terminal alanine and threonine tailing (msicat-tailing)

A method for treating a cancer with abnormalities in ribosome-associated quality control, wherein the method comprises administering a cancer treatment to a mammal having cancer and identified as having cancer cells are resistant to staurosporine (STS), temozolomide (TMZ), or both, comprising:

• obtaining, or having obtained, a human tissue sample with cancer cells having the abnormalities in ribosome-associated quality control;
• detecting in the human tissue sample for abnormalities in ribosome-associated quality control by detecting a presence of mitochondrial stress-induced protein carboxyl-terminal terminal alanine and threonine tailing (msiCAT-tailing) proteins, wherein the presence of msiCAT-tailing is indicative of the presence of glioblastoma stem cells;
• and
• administering a cancer treatment to the mammal having cancer, wherein the cancer treatment is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid msiCAT-tailing inhibitor or an msiCAT-tailing antagonist, in an amount effective to reduce the presence of msiCAT-tailing.