Scientists at the University of Purdue in the US have identified a mechanism by which the body is trying to protect against cancer, a discovery that could open the way to new treatments.
Photo: Shutterstock
The team led by Professor Danzhou Yang studied how this works “Braking system“Natural that limits the rapid cell division specific to cancer, according to Mediafax.
Researchers have learned that a protein called nucleolin can be stuck to a special DNA section, thus blocking the activity of the C-MYC gene. This gene is responsible for most blood cancers and 80% of solid tumors, according to medicalxress.com.
When nucleoline binds to the special structure of DNA (called G-Quadruplex), the C-MYC gene can no longer be copied, thus stopping the uncontrolled cell division specific to cancer.
Yang explains that this mechanism “It has evolved naturally in the context of cancer” and works as a braking system. The problem is that this braking takes too little time to be effective.
Discovering the structure related to how DNA protein is connected – “Like two LEGO parts assembled ” – provides researchers to develop information to develop drugs that extend this natural braking.
Research, published in Science magazine, shows images at the level of individual atoms about how exactly this natural defense mechanism works.
The next step of the team is to develop “inhibitors ” to be related to this structure and maintain the active brake longer, thus transforming a natural defense mechanism into an effective cancer treatment.
