New research hints at why some cancer cells develop drug resistance, and how to kill them.
As with weeds in a garden, it is a challenge to fully get rid of cancer cells in the body once they arise. They have a relentless need to continuously expand, even when they are significantly cut back by therapy or surgery. Even a few cancer cells can give rise to new colonies that will eventually outgrow their borders and deplete their local resources.
We are researchers studying how these microenvironmental stresses affect tumor initiation and progression. In our new study , we found that the harsh microenvironments of the body can push certain cancer cells to overcome the stress of being isolated and make them more adept at initiating and forming new tumor colonies.
We found that pancreatic cancer cells challenged with conditions that mimic isolation stress gain a new receptor on their surface that unstressed cancer cells don’t typically have: lysophosphatidic acid receptor 4, or LPAR4 , a protein involved in tumor progression. We determined that a key component of this extracellular matrix is fibronectin . When this protein binds to receptors called integrins on the surface of cells, it triggers a cascade of events that results in the expression of new genes promoting tumor initiation, stress tolerance and cancer progression. Eventually, other cancer cells are recruited into the fibronectin-rich matrix network, and a new satellite tumor colony starts to form.
Keeping cancer cells stressedUnderstanding how to cut off the cascade of events that allows cancer cells to become stress-tolerant is important, because it provides a new area to explore for future treatments.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
National research teams seek Alzheimer's clinical trial participants for new studyRecently, a drug shown to modestly slow the early stages of Alzheimer's was approved by FDA. The drug continues to be studied in larger and longer trials.
Read more »
New Research: Blood Pressure Highly Likely To Cause Neurotic Personality TraitManaging it can help reduce neuroticism, anxiety, and the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study published in the open-access journal General Psychiatry found that high diastolic blood pressure, the lower number in a blood pressure reading, is highly likely to cause neurotic personality trait.
Read more »
Profound Implications: New Research Challenges a 70-Year-Old Theory of Protein FoldingThe findings of the study call into question a long-held belief about the way proteins fold within our cells and have significant ramifications for the treatment of illnesses connected to protein misfolding. A groundbreaking study by researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Acceler
Read more »
Ancient chimeras were suction feeders, not shell crushers, new research showsA rare three-dimensional fossil of an ancient chimera has revealed new clues about the diversity of these creatures in the Carboniferous period, some 300 million years ago.
Read more »
New Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Cat OutsideThe next time you let your cat outside for its daily adventure, you may want to reconsider. A new study by University of Maryland researchers has found that keeping cats indoors can significantly reduce the risks of transmitting diseases and hunting wildlife, which can have a negative impact on nati
Read more »
New Research Reveals the Secret to Unleashing Creativity in Conventional ThinkersAccording to a recent study, even individuals who tend to think in a conventional manner, such as accountants or insurance adjusters, can be creative if they are able to approach emotional situations from a different perspective. The study conducted experiments and found that conventional thinker
Read more »