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Written By: Agencies | Published : January 7, 2015 3:23 PM IST
New York, Jan 7: A team of researchers, including an Indian-origin scientist, has discovered a key cancer-promoting gene that may explain how a protein - TGF-beta - can prevent cancer from forming and encourage its aggressive growth. With the new insight into the cancer mystery, considered to be a major paradox of cancer biology, the findings could provide a potential target for treatment. The researchers, including Shyam Nyati from University of Michigan, identified Bub1 as a key gene involved in regulating TGF-beta receptor. (Read: Discovered the gene that spreads lung cancer)
'Bub1 is well-known for its role in cell division. But this is the first study that links it to TGF-beta. We think this may explain the paradox of TGF-beta as a tumour promoter and a tumour suppressor,' said study director Alnawaz Rehemtulla from University of Michigan Medical School. 'Our data that Bub1 is involved at the receptor level is completely unexpected,' Rehemtulla added. TGF-beta is known as a tumour suppressor, meaning it is necessary to keep cells in check and growing normally. But at some point, its function flips and it becomes a tumor promoter, fostering aggressive growth and spread of cancer. (Read: Revealed - how gene mutation leads to liver cancer)
The team of researchers developed a way to screen for genes that regulate the TGF-beta receptor. When 720 genes from the human genome were screened against lung cancer and breast cancer cells, Bub1 emerged as playing a strong role in TGF-beta signaling. Bub1 was shown to bind to the TGF-beta receptor and allows it to turn on aggressive cell growth. When the researchers blocked Bub1, it shut down the TGF-beta pathway completely. Because Bub1 is found in many types of cancer, developing a drug to target it could potentially impact multiple cancers. The study was in Science Signaling, a weekly journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (Read: Genes responsible for breast cancer identifiesd)
Source: IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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