Protein, which protects discovered cancer cells from chemotherapy and radiotherapy research by LSUHSC

Research under the direction of Daitoku Sakamuro, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at the, has identified a protein, which allows the activation of a DNA repair enzyme LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and the LSUHSC Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, therapy protects the cancer cells of catastrophic damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation. This protein, called caused c-MYC, can initiate and promote almost all human cancers and discover the role it plays in the cancer treatment resistance can lead to progress, that will save lives. The work is in the issue of March 29, 2011, science signaling, a publication of the American Association for the advancement of science published. Although scientists knew that cancer cells to DNA-damaging Therapeutics can acquire, the genetic mechanisms by which have remained unclear for this so far.

With the chemotherapy drug cisplatin (which often is used as first-line therapy for various types of cancer), a series of experiments to design, the research team found, that the c-MYC resistance, improved caused cisplatin by production called c-MYC-inhibitor BIN1. BIN1 suppresses an enzyme for DNA repair and the sensitivity of cancer cells in cisplatin posted BIN1 wealth. The c-MYC caused overproduction suppressed BIN1, his life-saving block action.

"Our study provides a strong and innovative mechanism by which acquire cancer resistance against DNA damage," notes Dr. Sakamuro. "Inhibition of c-MYC oncogenes can offer an attractive strategy for cancer therapy in combination with DNA-damaging agents."

The researchers also suggest, analyze the levels of c-MYC and the BIN1 proteins or their actual status serve as a valuable prognostic markers to determine whether a cancer is responding to an aggressive dose of therapeutics.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1,529,560 new cancer cases were expected to be in the year 2010, without non-invasive cancers and basal and squamous cell skin cancer in the United States are diagnosed. Almost a quarter of the deaths in the United States with an estimated 569,490 cancer deaths are cancer expected in the last year.

"Our study determines how we can malignant cancer cells to DNA-damaging Therapeutics conventional re-sensitize and can be as we minimize unnecessary side effects associated with cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiation therapy," adds Dr. Sakamuro.

Dr. Sakamuro notes that 90% of research in LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans post-Katrina was done. "If I from the city days, some people think New Orleans is still under water or struggling to recover." "But the fact is the LSUHSC bio-medical research facilities are fully recovered and one first class environment for scientific discovery and success."

In addition to the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, the research team included scientists from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

The research was by grants from the U.S. Army Department of Defense, national institutes of health, Louisiana cancer research consortium, Walther Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen Foundation and Wendy case Cancer Fund is supported.

Source:
Leslie CAPO
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center