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Zombie
cancer cells eat themselves to live
Zombie
cancer cells eat themselves to live
Date:
April 5,
2014
Source:
University of Colorado Denver
Summary:
A new study shows that the cellular process of
autophagy in which cells 'eat' parts of themselves in times of stress may allow
cancer cells to recover and divide rather than die when faced with
chemotherapies.
................................
A University
of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Cell Reports
and presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Annual Conference 2014 shows that the cellular process of autophagy in which
cells "eat" parts of themselves in times of stress may allow cancer
cells to recover and divide rather than die when faced with chemotherapies.
Autophagy,
from the Greek "to eat oneself," is a process of cellular recycling
in which cell organelles called autophagosomes encapsulate extra or dangerous
material and transport it to the cell's lysosomes for disposable. Like tearing
apart a Lego kit, autophagy breaks down unneeded cellular components into
building blocks of energy or proteins for use in surviving times of low energy
or staying safe from poisons and pathogens (among other uses).
"What
we showed is that if this mechanism doesn't work right, for example if
autophagy is too high or if the target regulated by autophagy isn't around,
cancer cells may be able to rescue themselves from death caused by
chemotherapies," says Andrew Thorburn, PhD, deputy director of the CU
Cancer Center.
A movie that
accompanies the study online shows a cancer cell dying. In the first few
frames, mitochondrial cell walls break down and the cell's mitochondria can be
seen releasing proteins in a process abbreviated as MOMP, which is considered a
common marker of cell death. But then high autophagy allows the cell to
encapsulate and "digest" these released proteins before MOMP can keep
the cell well and truly dead. Later in the movie, the cancer cell recovers and
goes on to divide.
"The
implication here is that if you inhibit autophagy you'd make this less likely
to happen, i.e. when you kill cancer cells they would stay dead," Thorburn
says.
Thorburn and
colleagues including postdoctoral researcher Jacob Gump, PhD, show that
autophagy depends on the target PUMA to regulate cell death. Specifically, when
PUMA is absent, it doesn't matter if autophagy is inhibited because without the
communicating action of PUMA, cancer cells continue to survive.
The finding
has important implications. First, it demonstrates a mechanism whereby
autophagy controls cell death. And second, the study further reinforces the
clinical potential of inhibiting autophagy to sensitize cancer cells to
chemotherapy.
"Autophagy
is complex and as yet not fully understood," Thorburn says. "But now
that we see a molecular mechanism whereby cell-fate can be determined by
autophagy, we hope to discover patient populations that could benefit from
drugs that inhibit this action."
Story
Source:
The above
story is based on materials provided by University of Colorado Denver. Note: Materials
may be edited for content and length.
Cite This
Page:
University of Colorado Denver.
"Zombie cancer cells eat themselves to live." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 5 April 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140405233847.htm>.