A Gene Discovered That Could Aid in the Treatment of Glioblastoma
A team of scientists from a research institute affiliated with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA, has discovered that a gene responsible for regulating circadian rhythms represents a potential target that, when affected, could combat a deadly form of brain cancer – glioblastoma. In a recent study, the results of which were published in the journal Scientific Reports, they established that a subtype of a specific gene, more commonly associated with the circadian rhythm, contributes to the survival of cancer cells.
“Scientists around the world are actively searching for new methods to treat glioblastoma, but none have yet considered this gene as a potential basis for developing effective therapy,” says the lead author of the project, Professor Zhi Sheng from the research institute at Virginia Tech. His team accurately identified the necessary gene from twenty that could potentially influence the development of brain tumor cells.
“We found that by suppressing this gene, we can block the process of self-renewal of cancer stem cells and their transformation into glioblastoma cells, which we believe could be key in the fight against this extremely resilient type of oncology,” explained Professor Sheng, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “Of course, before we can develop a new treatment method, several more studies will need to be conducted, but the current results look promising.”
According to him, new therapeutic methods for patients with glioblastoma are critically needed. Most patients die within a year and a half of diagnosis. And among the 90% of those who manage to live more than two years, a recurring tumor develops, which in most cases cannot be eradicated through additional surgical intervention. This form of oncology, which accounts for nearly half of all malignant brain tumors, recently claimed the life of American Senator John McCain.
As Dr. Sheng notes, cancer can recur if even a few hundred glioblastoma stem cells remain in the patient's body after surgical removal of the tumor, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In their experiments conducted on cell cultures and laboratory mice infected with glioblastoma, researchers found that if the action of the enzyme encoded by the gene of the casein kinase-1 family is suppressed, the proliferation of brain cancer stem cells ceases and the tumor formation process is blocked.
At the same time, the scientists emphasized that this enzyme rather controls the efficiency of self-renewal of glioblastoma stem cells than their differentiation. “Blocking this gene will effectively destroy the tumor stem cells,” concluded Dr. Sheng.
The scientists also studied two existing market drugs that block the casein kinase-1 gene, preventing the activation of circadian rhythms. One of them, it turned out, could potentially serve as a chemical suppressor of glioblastoma stem cells – the researchers plan to study it in more detail.