Manipulating SPL to Fight Cancer
A Science Daily article entitled 'New Research Identifies Human Enzyme That Could Be Programmed To Kill Cancer Cells' reveals the potential effectiveness of manipulating the activities of biochemicals that play a role in regulating cellular growth and replication. A part of the linked article is reproduced and followed by a comment.
"A new study conducted by scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) identifies a specific enzyme that can cause the death of cancer cells. Researchers studied the behavior of an enzyme called sphingosine phosphate lyase (SPL), which can regulate cell growth and death by lowering the levels of a natural, growth-promoting lipid called sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P.
The study, led by Julie Saba, M.D., Ph.D. is the first to link the SPL enzyme to cancer, and it appears in the November issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers identified SPL as a key regulator of cancer cells. They discovered that if the cancer cells were stressed by chemotherapy, SPL could be activated or "turned on" to reduce the levels of S1P, which is needed to cause cell death. "The enzyme SPL senses when a cell has sustained damage or is undergoing mutations," said Dr. Saba. "Once the enzyme is aware of these changes it responds by killing the cell. We hope to find new ways to leverage the body's own natural responses to these mutated or damaged cells to target cancer cells."
The article goes on to indicate that SPL is observed to be inactive in colon cancers even though it is active in healthy tissues of the same organism. This suggests not only a treatment but a possible cause of particular cancers. The cause may be directly referenced or may be indicate a secondary effect of an actual cause. Nevertheless, as the article states, SPL enhances the effects of chemotherapy.
"A new study conducted by scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) identifies a specific enzyme that can cause the death of cancer cells. Researchers studied the behavior of an enzyme called sphingosine phosphate lyase (SPL), which can regulate cell growth and death by lowering the levels of a natural, growth-promoting lipid called sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P.
The study, led by Julie Saba, M.D., Ph.D. is the first to link the SPL enzyme to cancer, and it appears in the November issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers identified SPL as a key regulator of cancer cells. They discovered that if the cancer cells were stressed by chemotherapy, SPL could be activated or "turned on" to reduce the levels of S1P, which is needed to cause cell death. "The enzyme SPL senses when a cell has sustained damage or is undergoing mutations," said Dr. Saba. "Once the enzyme is aware of these changes it responds by killing the cell. We hope to find new ways to leverage the body's own natural responses to these mutated or damaged cells to target cancer cells."
The article goes on to indicate that SPL is observed to be inactive in colon cancers even though it is active in healthy tissues of the same organism. This suggests not only a treatment but a possible cause of particular cancers. The cause may be directly referenced or may be indicate a secondary effect of an actual cause. Nevertheless, as the article states, SPL enhances the effects of chemotherapy.
posted by Paul at 8:42 AM
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