One of the most elusive and tantalizing targets in cancer is so common that scientists have a nickname for it: Mc Gene. In 70 percent of cancers, this gene — whose proper name is MYC — is too active and fuels the aggressive growth, spread and survival of tumors. A study published in the journal Molecular Cell reveals details about the control circuit that triggers cells to churn out extra copies of MYC — offering a new and potentially more tractable target for drugs.
The new study examined the buildup of extra gene copies. Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia focused on the molecular machinery that orchestrates which genes are active. They found that two switches can tweak MYC activity, causing extra copies to accumulate or not. One switch is an enzyme called KDM4C, which prompts the copying machinery to make duplicates of MYC. When an experimental drug blocked KDM4C in cells and in mice, the extra copies decreased. Another switch, SET D2, keeps MYC in check; shutting it off caused extra copies to accumulate.
"The idea for a very long time has been these extra copies of MYC observed in tumors were just a random result of chaos in cancer cells," said Laura Soucek, a molecular biologist at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology. The new study shows that extra MYC is controlled by a specific molecular process. Dr. Soucek and other scientists cautioned that this was a laboratory study, far from suggesting an immediate therapeutic strategy for patients.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing