Scientists find a new strategy for the treatment of brain cancer -
Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and Central McGill university health showed that a member of the family of proteins known as SUMO (small ubiquitin modifier) is a key to why the tumor cells multiply uncontrollably, especially in the case of glioblastoma. The proteins of the SUMO family modify other proteins and SUMOylation proteins are essential for many cellular processes. Identify the role of SUMO in the growth of cancer cells lead to a new strategy for the treatment of glioblastoma.
Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly brain cancer. Current standard treatments include surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite treatment, patients' survive about a year and a half. Cancer continues to grow, in part because of the presence of cancer stem cells. It is essential to understand the cancer growth pathways in stem cells for the development of targeted therapies stem cells.
The molecular mechanisms that control the growth of cancer through cell cycle progression, involving many proteins and many aspects of this complex process are still unknown. A group of proteins called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) driving the cell cycle; Yet we do not know why cancer cells retain a large amount of CDK proteins.
"In the investigation of human glioblastoma cell cycle, we discovered that CDK6 is amended by SUMO1.CDK6 sumoylation inhibits degradation and thus stabilizes CDK6 protein in cancer," says Dr. Anita Bellail, researcher at the Montreal neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and the McGill University health Centre and lead author of the article published in Nature Communications . Co-authors of the study include Jeffrey J. Olson of the University's Department of neurosurgery and Emory Chunhai "Charlie" Hao, Department of pathology, Montreal neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University and the McGill University health Centre.
"We found that sumoylation CDK6 is required for the renewal and growth of cancer stem cells in glioblastoma. inhibition of SUMO1 removes stem cells and suppresses the progression of cancer. "
Their conclusion adds concrete evidence of recent studies on ways of sumoylation in the development of cancer in humans and progression. with the new understanding of how SUMO affect the cell cycle in cancer stem cells, this group of scientists are currently screened for targeted SUMO1 new medicines for human glioblastoma treatment.
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