Thwarting protein production slows cancer cells’ malignant march
From yeast to worms to humans, this stress response and its primary regulator, heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), help normal cells adapt to harsh environments, including the presence of heavy metals, high salt concentrations, low oxygen levels, and of course increased temperatures. "In a perverted twist of fate, cancer cells take advantage of this incredibly ancient survival strategy — the heat shock response — to help them survive despite the best efforts of our own natural defenses, and sophisticated therapeutics, to kill them," says Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist. "And trumping all that, we find it not only helps them survive, it helps them thrive!" Across tumor and cancer types, cancer cells rely on the heat shock response and HSF1 to support the production of vast quantities of proteins and the high-energy demands needed to propel malignancy…