A team of Taiwan scientists has identified a key gene responsible for triggering the spread of cancer, raising hopes of a targeted treatment for the disease, according to Academia Sinica May 2.
Research fellow Jou Yuh-shan, postdoctoral researcher Yeh Hsi-wen and colleagues at the academy’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences discovered that the paraspeckle component gene, or PSPC1, is the primary activator of metastasis in cancer cells.
In patients, the gene hijacks a protein called transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) that performs functions such as cell growth and proliferation. PSPC1 reprograms the protein to promote cancer cell duplication, invasion and metastasis.
According to Jou, while the scientific community has been aware of the reprogramming of TGF beta 1 for many years, the gene responsible had eluded researchers. Efforts to develop an inhibitor are already underway, although it could take 20-30 years before a drug becomes commercially available, he said.
The discovery was achieved through an integrated genomic approach that looked for abnormalities and gene mutations in malignant tumors of the breast, liver, lung and prostate. Describing his team’s work as a major breakthrough, Jou said that the research has received considerable international recognition and shines a spotlight on Taiwan’s medical achievements and expertise.
In March, the study was published online by the Nature Cell Biology. The following month, the leading scientific journal also featured an article on the research in its news section. (KWS-E)
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