ibs.GRANADA researchers identify a protein responsible for the development and growth of lung cancer
This finding, published in several scientific journals, could help develop more effective treatments for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
The Genetics and Molecular Oncology A-09 research group of the Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA) has identified a protein that plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer.
Several studies over the last decade have shown that some proteins involved in cell junctions are not only found in cell junction structures on the cell membrane, but also have different locations within the cell, such as in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. It has been found that the location of these proteins in different and distant places suggests that some of them play an important role in other relevant cellular processes, including cancer.
In this sense, this team of scientists from ibs.GRANADA has studied a protein called Plakophilin 1 (PKP1), which belongs to a family of proteins that contain several repeated copies of an internal sequence, known as the armadillo repeat domain. This family of proteins performs various functions in the cell due, in many cases, to the interaction with other proteins thanks to the armadillo domain. In this study, they have shown that PKP1 is present in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm, acting as a regulator of mRNA translation and gene expression.
This group of researchers from Granada has also managed to determine the biophysical characteristics of this PKP1 protein, which interacts with other cellular proteins that may play an important role in cellular processes, such as cancer. This is the case of the NUPR1 protein, a small and messy protein found throughout the cell, which is frequently involved in the regulation and signaling of different processes, playing an important role in the development and progression of various cancers.
From this institute in Granada, they have studied the interaction between the armadillo repeat domain of PKP1 and the NUPR1 protein through the use of various biophysical techniques, concluding that the PKP1-NUPR1 interaction plays an active role in carcinogenesis, that is, in the initiation of Cancer.
These results raise the possibility that inhibition of these protein-protein interactions with the use of drugs may be a promising target in cancer treatment. In addition, this protein, called PKP1, may be a valuable biomarker for diagnosis and a potential therapeutic target in lung squamous cell carcinoma.
About the research group
The ibs.GRANADA Genetics and Molecular Oncology research group, led by Dr. Maria Esther Fárez Vidal, is focused on molecular oncology, the study of molecular bases and gene expression profiles in cancer. Its objective is the genetic study of tumors, specifically lung cancer. They are highly oriented towards understanding the genetic and biological characteristics of the tumor due to the importance it entails in finding altered genes and altered proteins in specific tumor types that can be used in the future as biomarkers and targets for the development of new cancer therapies. lung cancer patients may benefit. On the other hand, the research group is also focused on the study of new pharmacological compounds with antitumor activity directed against new therapeutic targets.
More information about the group at https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/a09-genetica-y-oncologia-molecular/