Protein duo for caveolae formation
Friday, 18 January, 2008
Source: Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Australian scientists are researching a possible way of making aggressive prostate cancer cells less invasive after their discovery of a protein essential for the normal functioning of cells.
Professor Robert Parton led a team of scientists from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland, who discovered that the protein PTRF-cavin is required for caveolae formation.
Caveolae are pits on the surface of cells, which are involved in many processes essential for the healthy functioning of the body, including tumour suppression. One protein involved in caveolae formation, called caveolin, was already identified, but it was not known that it functions in conjunction with PTRF-cavin.
"Caveolae formation is a fundamental process that affects every cell in the body, and importantly, has implications for prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy," Parton said.
"In most cancers, the cells stop expressing caveolin, and the caveolae don't form. But some aggressive prostate cancer cells actually show much higher levels of caveolin than normal.
"We found that although caveolin levels were high, caveolae still weren't forming, and further research found this is because PRTF-cavin is missing."
The team added PTRF-cavin to a prostate cancer cell line, which prompted the formation of caveolae. They are currently studying if this change could alter the invasive properties of the cancer cells.
"It will take several years, but we're hopeful that we can develop this process for use in diagnosing, and eventually treating, prostate cancer," Dr Michelle Hill, a senior investigator on the team, said.
"Rather than current cancer treatments, which kill any cells that are growing quickly, this would be a more targeted, tailored treatment that should result in less side effects and a more effective therapy overall."
Hill said the fact that a protein was associated with promoting cancer in one case and preventing it in another highlighted the need for different avenues of treatment for different cancers.
"The role of caveolin differs between cancers because it is in a different form at the cell surface, which highlights the importance of not only the protein, but also its interaction with other proteins and its location on the cell surface."
The team's research was published in the journal Cell.
Quitting smoking increases life expectancy even for seniors
Although the benefits of quitting smoking diminish with age, there are still substantial gains...
Stem cell transplants treat blindness in mini pigs
Scientists have successfully transplanted retinas made from stem cells into blind mini pigs,...
Sugary drinks raise cardiovascular disease risk, but occasional sweets don't
Although higher sugar intake raises your risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, consuming sweet...