Protein helps control prostate cancer
Scientists have found a protein that not only regulates self-renewal of prostate stem cells but also turns healthy prostate cells into potentially cancerous ones.
Bmi-protein “is a crucial regulator of self-renewal in adult prostate cells and plays important roles in prostate cancer initiation and progression,” said researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
High levels of the protein are often found in prostate cancer, particularly in hard-to-treat and fast-growing tumors.
Previous studies have pointed out the link between Bmi-1 and higher-grade cancers, stressing that the presence of the protein is predictive of poor outcomes.
Its functional role in the maintenance of prostate stem cell and the development of prostate cancer, however, remained unclear, said senior researcher Owen Witte, director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA.
According to a study published in Cell Stem Cell, the absence of Bmi-1 expression blocks the self-renewal activity, a condition which protects prostate cells from developing abnormal growth changes and turning into cancerous tissue.
Bmi-1 inhibition also slowed down the growth rate of an aggressive form of prostate cancer in animal models, in which the PTEN tumor suppressor gene was removed allowing the cancer to run wild.
"It was encouraging to see that inhibiting this protein slows the growth of even a very aggressive prostate cancer because that could give us new ways to attack this disease," Witte added.
He stressed that the findings could prove important in efforts to find ways to control cancer growth and progression.
Source: presstv.ir
