Discovering an energy source for cancer¡¯s ¡®master gene¡¯
December 10, 2014
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by an MD Anderson Cancer Center medical professional on December 10, 2014
It¡¯s hard to believe, but there are similarities between bean sprouts and human cancer.
In bean sprouts, a collection of amino acids known as a protein complex allows them to grow longer in the darkness than in the light. In humans, a similar protein complex ¡ª CSN and its subunit CSN6 ¡ª is now believed to be a cancer-causing gene that impacts activity of another gene (Myc) tied to tumor growth.
Somehow the same mechanisms that result in bigger bean sprouts also cause cancer metastasis and tumor development.
A study at MD Anderson Cancer Center has demonstrated the CSN6¡¯s significance in regulating Myc, which may very well open up a new pathway for treating and killing tumors. The results of the study, led by Mong-Hong Lee, Ph.D., a professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, were published in the November issue of .
¡°We have discovered that CSN6 is a strong oncogene that is frequently overexpressed and significantly speeds up tumor growth in many types of cancer,¡± said Lee. ¡°Furthermore, CSN6 also affects the expression of Myc in tumors.¡±
Myc is a proto-oncogene or master cancer gene that spurs tumor growth in a variety of cancers, including breast, lung, colon, brain, skin, leukemia, prostate, pancreas, stomach and bladder.
Lee said the study findings are important because targeting Myc is a challenging task due to its unique protein structure. Even though it has been studied for decades, no effective inhibitor for Myc has been successfully developed. His team¡¯s study found that inhibiting CSN6 quickly destabilizes Myc, greatly impairing metastasis and tumor growth.
¡°This has the potential to unlock a promising and completely new door to effectively eliminating tumors and suppressing cancers that overexpress Myc,¡± said Lee.