A cancer-causing adaptor protein that facilitates proliferation of colorectal and cervical cancer cells could become a new target for cancer treatment, a researcher at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City said yesterday.
Eps8, which stands for “EGF receptor pathway substrate No. 8,” was first discovered in the 1990s but its role in cancer formation was not understood at the time, said Leu Tzeng-horng (呂增宏), head of the university’s Institute of Pharmacology.
In 2007, a research team headed by Leu linked Eps8 to colorectal cancer, and it confirmed a year later that it was also associated with cervical cancer.
Eps8 is an adaptor protein and a common substrate for both the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and the enzyme Src tyrosine kinase. Src not only can phosphorylate, or “activate” Eps8, but can also influence its expression, Leu said.
The team’s latest study found that Eps8 can spur the Src substrate focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which is associated with the progression of colorectal cancer.
In animal experiments, the team observed that lowering Eps8 levels resulted in decreased tumor growth, suggesting that reducing Eps8 could therefore inhibit the proliferation of cancerous cells.
Citing analyses of cancer specimens, Leu said that excessively high levels of Eps8 were seen in late-stage colorectal cancer patients, while patients with thyroid cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer were found to have higher-than-normal levels of the substrate.
Leu said that agents that attenuate Eps8 can be used to inhibit or destroy the tumor growth of cancer cells, but human tests are still needed.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
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