Scientists have identified a gene involved in cell metabolism and energy production that is overactive in a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings suggest that inhibiting that gene may improve the outlook for glioblastoma patients.
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive brain cancer in adults. Over 70 percent of patients with glioblastoma die within two years of diagnosis.
The new research showed that glioblastoma patients with high expression of a gene known as NAMPT died sooner. Tumors with elevated expression of the same gene grew rapidly when they were implanted in mice and shrank when NAMPT was inhibited.
NAMPT is a key component of a metabolic pathway known as the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) pathway that is involved in producing cellular energy and plays a key role in several biological processes that depend on energy generation, such as aging, diabetes and inflammation.
The study was published Dec. 7 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source & further reading:https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/metabolic-pathway-associated-slower-aging-also-fuels-brain-cancer/
Image:
In the image below, cancer stem cells in a mouse brain section glow fluorescent green, allowing researchers to study the effect of inhibiting the pathway on the ability of cancer stem cells to survive and proliferate.
source: Corina Marinescu
No comments:
Post a Comment