Tag Archives: protein

Protein ZEB1 promotes breast tumor resistance to radiation therapy

One protein with the even more out-there name of ZEB1 (zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1), is now thought to keep breast cancer cells from being successfully treated with radiation therapy, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Li Ma, Ph.D., an assistant professor of experimental radiation oncology at MD Anderson, reported in this month’s issue of Nature Cell Biology that ZEB1 may actually be helping breast tumor cells repair DNA damage caused by radiation treatment by ramping up a first-line of defense known as DNA damage response pathway. …

One reason brain tumors are more common in men

The researchers found that retinoblastoma protein (RB), a protein known to reduce cancer risk, is significantly less active in male brain cells than in female brain cells. The study appears Aug. …

Target growth-driving cells within tumors, not fastest-proliferating cells

“It is well-established that individual tumors are genetically heterogeneous — comprised of multiple subgroups of cancer cells, each with its own genomic signature, or pattern of gene mutations,” said the study’s senior author, Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber. …

‘Rewired’ mice show signs of longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses

In healthy cells, TRAP-1 is an important regulator of metabolism and has been shown to regulate energy production in mitochondria, organelles that generate chemically useful energy for the cell. In the mitochondria of cancer cells, TRAP-1 is universally overproduced. The Wistar team’s report, which appears in the journal Cell Reports, shows how “knockout” mice bred to lack the TRAP-1 protein compensate for this loss by switching to alternative cellular mechanisms for making energy…

Starving pancreatic cancer before it has a chance to feast

Pancreatic cancer and other cancers can only thrive, grow and spread if they have nutrients from blood, just like other tissues in our bodies. Cancer cells and tumors at first rely on nearby blood vessels to get what they need to survive, but, as tumors grow, they need to form new vessels. These vessels differ from those in regular tissue, Sushanta explained, which is part of the reason cancer can be so difficult to treat. …

Inhibition of protein opens door to treatment of pancreatic cancer

Until now, the strategies for treating this tumor were aimed at attacking the tumor cells and had little success. The latest studies indicate that trying to destroy what surrounds the tumor is possibly a better strategy…

New route for ovarian cancer spread discovered

“This completely new way of thinking about ovarian cancer metastasis provides new potential avenues to predict and prevent recurrence or metastasis,” said senior author Anil Sood, M.D., professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine and Cancer Biology. The researchers found the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) rely on HER3, a less-famous sibling of the HER2 receptor protein prominent in some breast cancers, to find their way to the omentum, a sheet of tissue that covers and supports abdominal organs. HER3’s heavy presence on these cells makes it a biomarker candidate and suggests possible therapeutic options to thwart ovarian cancer progression, the researchers noted…

Important piece in brain tumor puzzle found by scientists

Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal brain cancer. Current standard treatments include surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. …

New metastasis-suppressor gene identified by cancer researchers

New metastasis-suppressor gene identified by cancer researchers — ScienceDaily

Activation of the PI3K/AKT signal pathway is a known driver of the progression of prostate cancer to the castrate-resistant stage, the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Using a genome-wide genetic screen, Dr. Gelman and colleagues identified a previously unknown metastasis suppressor — the FOXO4 protein, which belongs to a family of genes that are produced by all human cells. …