The antitumor properties of metformin and phenformin reflect their ability to inhibit the actions of differentiated embryo chondrocyte 1

Background Differentiated embryo chondrocyte 1 (DEC1) is a helix-loop-helix transcription factor that directly binds to the class B E-box in target genes. DEC1 exerts both pro-survival and pro-apoptotic effects in a cell- and tissue-dependent manner. Its actions play role the progression of cancer remains unclear.