GIST Professor Woo Keun Song and Chung-Ang University Professor Sangmyung Rhee identify a new mechanism of cell growth and metastasis in breast cancer
□ Professor Woo Keun Song of the School of Life Science at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President Seung Hyeon Moon) and Chung-Ang University Professor Sangmyung Rhee have identified a new mechanism of cell growth and metastasis in breast cancer. This mechanism can be inhibited, offering a new treatment approach for breast cancer patients.
∘ The characteristics of this study are the results obtained by culturing the cells in a soft matrix (bio-similar environmental condition) similar to the stiffness of the breast tissue instead of the general cell culture method, and the reliability of the results verified with a rodent model as well as with 100 breast cancer patients.
∘ Fibroblasts lacking the SPIN90 gene in the bioequivalent environment promote the microtubule * acetylation, and the mice lacking the SPIN90 gene are much more likely to develop breast cancer than normal mice. In particular, suppression of the expression of the enzyme that promotes acetylation * of microtubules resulted in a significant decrease in breast cancer formation.
* Microtubule: An organ that exists in a plant or an animal cell that is an necessary for skeletal maintenance of cells, movement of cells, and movement of substances in cells.
* SPIN90 gene: A protein that plays an important role in regulation of influx and movement of cell membrane associated with various cancers and Lou Gehrig's disease.
* Acetylation: This is a reaction in which hydrogen of a hydrogen atom, especially an amino group (-NH) or a hydroxyl group (-OH) in an organic compound is replaced with an acetyl group (-COCH).
∘ This research was conducted in collaboration with Chonnam National University Hospital and Chungbuk National Univeristy Hospital to obtain the 100 triple negative breast cancer samples, which is a malignant breast cancer that does not respond to conventional anticancer agents or target drugs, among the molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Negative breast cancer, SPIN90 expression decreased and acetylation of microtubule increased significantly. Especially, with regards to the triple negative breast cancer patients, as the expression of SPIN90 decreased, the recurrence rate of cancer increased rapidly within 5 years after breast cancer treatment, and the survival rate of patients also decreased. Based on these results, it is possible to establish a basis for the development of new molecular target therapy for breast cancer treatment.
