Killer transporter can destroy breast cancer cells
Pyruvate, a metabolite in the blood, is lethal to rapidly-multiplying cells, such as cancer. Transporters bring substances like pyruvate inside cells. Now, since breast cancer cells (or any other cancer cells in general) won’t let pyruvate in, scientists from the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine looked to a healthy group of rapidly-dividing breast cells that do let in a similar killer.
“If we can figure out how to do that, we could have a new therapeutic target for fighting breast cancer,” says Dr. Thangaraju Muthusamy, one of the researchers.
They looked at a principle present in the breastfeeding process. In order to allow milk production, the tissue must increase in size. When the breastfeeding stops, milk accumulates, and butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid similar to pyruvate, starts getting inside the cells. The size of breast is reduced and lactation is stopped via this process known as involution.
“The normal expansion of breast tissue during lactation is similar to breast cancer when tumors grow and multiply,” said Dr. Muthusamy. “But the cell death that occurs in normal breast tissue during involution does not occur in breast cancer. Tumor cells are smart; they silence the transporter to avoid death. No transporter means no pyruvate is getting into the cells.”
The research is funded by the National Cancer Institute, which granted over two million for this research. Hopefully, they will be able to make cancer cells to express the transporter and let the pyruvate inside.
Source: mcg.edu
