Scientists find new method of treating metastatic lung cancer

The rapid spread of lung cancer cells in the body makes it difficult to treat lung cancer. However, according to a new study using recombinant mouse proteins and led by scientists in California, the metastasis ability of cancer is likely to be due to inactivation of a single protective protein in tumor cells. The study found that the gene of a protective protein (CIC) in lung cancer patients had some frequency mutations which make lung cancer cells easy to transfer to other parts of the body.

In addition, the researchers have determined that the inactivation of this protein makes lung cancer cells have abnormal biochemical changes. Even if there is no mutation in the CIC gene itself, some of these abnormalities will drive the growth of the tumor.

Senior researcher Dr. Trever Bivona recently pointed out that restarting CIC may be able to prevent the spread of lung cancer. "We found that this protein was first identified as a regulator of Drosophila development and is known to directly control the normal development of the balloon in the lung and can be inactivated to cause cancer spread. Although it is already possible to re-activate CIC, more work is needed to reveal the validity of such a strategy."

The study was conducted by scientists from several research institutions, focusing on the most common lung cancer - non-small cell lung cancer. They directly inoculated fluorescently labeled human lung cancer cells into specific parts of the lungs that mimic the disease and used gene sequencing to measure data from three closely-related human lung cancer cell lines. This work quickly led to the CIC gene deletion and the corresponding lung metastasis phenomenon.

The researchers then analyzed genetic data from hundreds of human lung cancers and found that the percentage of CIC mutations in metastatic lung cancer increased six-fold compared with those who had lung cancer spread. The researchers also determined that even if the CIC gene is normal, CIC protein activity may also be inhibited in some metastatic lung cancer. They found that MAPK signaling pathway often makes CIC protein inactivation.

Whether the mutation is caused by genetic factors or by the MAPK pathway disorders, decreased CIC activity caused a series of adverse consequences. Drugs that block hyperactivated MAPK signaling, known as RAF-MEK-MAPK inhibitors, have been used to counteract overgrowth of tumors. New findings suggest that these drugs may also prevent the spread of cancer by preventing the inactivation of CIC. Flarebio provides you with good-quality recombinant proteins such as recombinant TLR2 at good prices.