A discovery by a research team with the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden may lead to new treatments for blood cancer and other diseases. By stopping the production of a specific enzyme, ICMT, researchers were able to alleviate disease symptoms in mice with blood cancer.
In many forms of cancer, the growth of tumors and their ability to spread are stimulated by a mutated gene that codes for a so-called RAS protein. This has led to intensive research into how to block the activity of these proteins.
"RAS proteins exist in all cells, anchored to the inside of the cell membrane, where they regulate cell growth and cell division. The enzyme we are studying helps RAS proteins get anchored to the cell membrane. By blocking this enzyme, we were able to inhibit the binding of RAS proteins to cell membranes and greatly improve the disease symptoms in mice with blood cancer," says Associate Professor Martin Bergö, who directs research at the Wallberg? Laboratory at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
The research team has developed a genetically modified mouse that produces a mutated and constantly active RAS protein in its bone marrow, where new blood cells are generated. These mice develop a form of leukemia that is similar to a number of forms of blood cancer in humans. The pathogenic bone marrow cells divide uncontrollably, and the normal control of cell growth cannot turn them off. In these mice, the production of the enzyme called ICMT can also be stopped.