Cancer cells: the new discovery of PITPNC1 protein

Researchers from Rockefeller University at New York and the University of Bergen at Norway published their discovery of a protein called PITPNC1 on the journal Cancer. Molecular biologist at the University of Bergen, first author Dr. Nils Halberg who is interested in producing recombinant proteins like recombinant dog proteins said, "We found that invasive cancer cells spreading in colon, breast and skin cancer have higher content of PITPNC1 protein than non-invasive cancer cells."

More than 90% of cancer deaths are due to metastasis, namely so-called new tumor lesions caused by the condition that invasive cells leave the primary tumor and metastases to other parts of the body. Any discoveries about the metastasis process of cancer cells all help us step further on the way of saving millions of lives.

The name of metastatic cancer cells is the same with that of the cancer cells it comes from. For example, lung metastatic cancer forming by a kind of breast tumor metastasis is known as metastatic breast cancer, instead of lung cancer. Under a microscope, metastatic tumor cells generally look very similar to primary cancer cells. Moreover, metastasis cancer cells and primary cancer cells often have some similar molecular features, such as the expression of certain proteins. It can be proved by many recombinant proteins such as recombinant rat proteins.

Dr. Halberg explained that there are many different kinds of cells inside a tumor cell. Some of the cells are benign and will not cause any troubles, while some cells become invasive and are ready to spread at any time. And it is difficult to predict which cells are about to become invasive cells.

In their paper, the team describes how they separated invasive cells from the metastatic breast cancer, melanoma and colon cancer and how they found that the invasive cells all express a kind of genes more highly than cells without proliferation. The gene encodes the protein PITPNC1. Dr. Halberg said, "This means that we can make a forecast about which tumor cells are easy to become invasive and spread at an earlier stage than what we can do currently."

He and his colleagues also found that this protein also has a very specific function in the process of cancer spread. It can make of blood vessels to metastase tumor cells to new sites in vivo. In order to be able to leave the tumor and enter blood vessels and then adhere to a new organ, invasive cells need to penetrate tissue. Dr. Halberg said that they cut matrix proteins around cells by releasing a kind of molecules like scissors, while it is PITPNC1 protein which regulates this process.

The team hopes that the results would help to find treatment to reduce the risk of proliferation of cancer - for example, after surgery. Halberg concluded, "If we can provide a personalized treatment targeting at this protein, we can prevent the spread of it."

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