New pathway of cancer cell metastasis has been found

Metastasis refers to the process of cancer cells leaving primary tumor and spreading to other parts of the body, resulting in more than 90% of cancer deaths. Therefore, improving the treatment choice of patients with metastatic cancer has a significant demand. Thus, researchers conduct various studies using recombinant proteins like recombinant horse proteins to get more information.

In order to make cancer metastase, cell death pathways needs to be cut off and the defects of cellular energy production should be changed. The researchers specifically investigated the Ras mutation. Ras gene is a proto-oncogene, which means that it is present in the genes of normal and non-cancerous cells. When Ras DNA shows specific changes or mutations, this mutation can lead to cancer development. Ras mutations are most common in lung cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. Ras is the most common mutated oncogenes which are observed in all human cancers.

"We found that for cancer cells with Ras mutations, it can turn off cell death pathways by adjusting two different proteins: SGK-1 and PHLPP1," Schaefer said, "We found that cancer cells containing Ras mutations lack for adsorption to cellular extracellular matrix, and adsorption of cancer cells in metastasis is also low. It activates SGK-1 protein, which results in an increase in energy production. The improvement of energy increases the survival of these cells. At the same time, Ras also causes the decrease of number of PHLPP1 protein. Therefore, the ability of PHLPP1 causing cell death is reduced. In general, these changes (SGK-1 activation and PHLPP1 reduction) of cells promote the survival of the metastasizing cancer cells."

Although more research needs to be done, the study results show that an effective strategy of using Ras mutation to eliminate cancer metastasis may simultaneously inhibit SGK-1 activity, thereby blocking the production of energy and restoring PHLPP1 activity, leading to cell death.

"We are currently expanding our research to better understand whether PHLPP1 and SGK-1 play an important role in cancer cell aspects of different stages of the control of cancer cell metastasis." Schaefer said.

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