Proteins, linked to pancreatic cancer spread, found
- From: J <macyinno@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:00:11 -0400
<http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-07-18T113652Z_01_L18240033_RTRUKOC_0_US-CANCER-PANCREAS.xml>
Proteins linked to pancreatic cancer spread found
Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:37am ET170
By Patricia Reaney
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Tuesday they have discovered two
proteins that act like an engine for pancreatic cancer cells and might
explain why it is such an aggressive disease.
The proteins called CapG and Gelsolin regulate cell movement. Unusually
high concentrations are found in cancerous tissue and could be involved in
the spread of the disease to other areas of the body.
"These proteins may play a fundamental role in the aggressive spread and
growth of pancreatic tumors," said Dr Eithne Costello of the University of
Liverpool in northern England.
About 216,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are reported each year, most
in developed countries, according to the International Agency for Research
on Cancer in Lyon, France.
The Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti was recently diagnosed and had
surgery for pancreatic cancer.
"Understanding how it spreads is a priority. We need to know how this
disease spreads in order to be able to target new treatments. With these
two molecules we have identified players in the ability to spread,"
Costello, a molecular biologist, said in an interview.
The disease is most common in people 60 years or older. It is usually not
detected until the cancer is in an advanced stage when it has spread
beyond the pancreas which makes it more difficult to treat.
The scientists, whose findings are reported online by the journal Gut,
studied the proteins that could potentially be new drug targets in samples
of cancerous and healthy tissue in the laboratory.
When they lowered the amounts of CapG and Gelsolin in the cancerous tissue
it reduced the spread of the cancerous cells. They also found that the
amount of CapG found in the nucleus of cancerous cells was proportional to
the size of the tumour.
Costello and her team also noticed that patients with low or undetectable
levels of Gelsolin had a better prognosis. She added that in order to
tackle the disease scientists must do a number of things.
"We need to understand the biology behind it.
We need to catch it early and to find improved treatments."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
gel·sol·in Pronunciation (jlsln)
n.
A calcium-dependent actin-binding protein that modulates actin filament
length and gelation and thus influences the structure of the cytoskeleton
and plays a key role in cellular motility and differentiation.
Alternative names for Actin Regulatory Protein CAPG antibody (ab14235)
Actin regulatory protein CAP G antibody
AFCP antibody
Capping protein (actin filament) gelsolin like antibody
Gelsolin like capping protein antibody
Macrophage capping protein antibody
MCP antibody
http://www.medicine.ufl.edu/infecdis/southwick_lab/capg.htm
n the macrophage, control of actin dynamics is achieved in part by the
participation of Cap G, a protein discovered in this laboratory. This
calcium-sensitive actin filament capping protein can regulate the assembly
and disasssembly of actin-cytoskeleton during macrophage movement. CapG
binds the barbed or rapid growing end of actin filaments in the presence
of calcium. When the calcium concentration is lowered CapG dissociates
from the barbed end allowing actin assembly to again occur. PCR generated
point mutations have been made in the molecule to assess the relationship
between primary structure and function. We have created gain-of-function
mutations that convert CapG from a capping to a capping and severing
protein addition. In collaboration with Dr. Stephen Almo (Albert Einstein
University) we are presently crystallizing wild-type and the severing
mutant and have begun to map their tertiary structure.
.
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