New therapy of multiple myeloma: to inhibit EZH2

In a study using recombinant dog proteins which is published in the scientific journal Oncotarget, researchers from Uppsala University showed how protein EZH2 affects the development of multiple myeloma and that EZH2 can be used as a novel strategy for treating the disease. Multiple myeloma in the form of tumors is still incurable today, and it is a challenge to improve treatment.

Researchers at Uppsala University have previously shown that abnormal chemical modification of DNA-associated proteins (histones) that regulate gene expression patterns can be a potential underlying mechanism for the development of multiple myeloma. The researchers studied the protein EZH2, which involves chemical histone modifications and reduces the survival of tumor cells by treating tumor cells with a substance that specifically inhibits EZH2.

In a recent study, Professor Helena Jernberg discovered a new mechanism at the Department of Genetics and Pathology Immunology that could explain the tumor-promoting effects of EZH2 in multiple myeloma. The researchers analyzed the activity of a large number of genes in tumor cells that had been treated with EZH2 inhibitors, and they found four important oncogenes with lower activity.

"The role of oncogenes in cancer development is to enhance the survival of cancer cells, but not death. In the case when cells can't work, they continue to divide and proliferate. In our study, we have identified four oncogenes. Compared with the control cells, cells treated with the EZH2 inhibitor showed lower activity. And the four genes have previously been shown to be associated with the development of multiple myeloma, confirming our previous finding that EZH2 inhibitors can be used as the treatment of multiple myeloma," Helena Jernberg Wiklund said.

But the researchers were perplexed by the fact that inhibition of EZH2 could reduce the activity of oncogenes. Chemical histone modifications carried out by EZH2 result in lower activity of the affected genes. Thus, inhibition of EZH2 should result in a decrease in the level of chemical modification, which in turn should lead to increased gene activity.

"The answer is that genetic factors called microRNAs have increased activity in the two microRNAs in cells treated with EZH2 inhibitors, and we believe that oncogenes are regulated by these microRNAs. And then when EZH2 is inhibited, histone modifications at the microRNA gene decreases, which leads to increased synthesis of microRNAs and in turn reduces the activity of oncogenes. It is a completely new mechanism for the effect of EZH2," Helena Jernberg Wiklund said. Flarebio provides you with recombinant proteins of good quality such as recombinant ITGB5 at good prices.