Study Shows Promise Of Training Cancer Cells To Stop Dividing And Die
Researchers have may have made a major stride in treating cancer, by stopping cancer cells from multiplying and causing them to die like regular cells.
In essence the breakthrough in the study[1] published in Nature Cell Biology causes cancer cells to become like normals cells again.
Researchers recognized that miRNAs in normal cells suppressed cell growth when they came in contact with each other. The miRNAs carry out cell metabolism through the regulation of s specific set of genes.
PLEKHA7 is a protein and microprocessor that controls the adhesion of E-cadherin and p120 catenin protein in a apical structure, which is essential for normal epithelial tissues to form.
PLEKHA7 maintains the normal state of cells through a set of miRNAs. When the PLEKHA7 protein is lost the adhesion structure of the cell is disrupted and the set of miRNAs become mis-regulated, allowing the cell to grow and replicate out of control.
The researchers stated that the majority of tumors they examined were missing the PLEKHA7 protein and the typical apical cohesion structure. The missing PLEKHA7 was like the brake that stopped the p120 from making the cell become cancerous. The intervention was to control the miRNAs to regulate the p120 protein.
“By administering the affected miRNAs in cancer cells to restore their normal levels, we should be able to re-establish the brakes and restore normal cell function,” Dr. Anastasiadis says. “Initial experiments in some aggressive types of cancer are indeed very promising.”[2]
[1] Distinct E-cadherin-based complexes regulate cell behaviour through miRNA processing or Src and p120 catenin activity
[1] Discovery of new code makes reprogramming of cancer cells possible
Tags: cancer awareness, cancer killer
