Taiwanese scientists have identified a genetic mechanism behind the growth of brain tumors in children that could potentially be used to create more targeted cancer therapy, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University said yesterday.
The university’s research team found that the TTBK2 and HUWE1 genes might play a key role in the spread of medulloblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer in children, it said in a statement.
The study, which utilized genetically manipulated mice and zebrafish, was published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation in June last year.
Photo courtesy of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
The main clinical treatments for medulloblastoma are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, all of which are associated with risk of cognitive impediment, high cancer recurrence and other side effects, it said.
The research, which linked dysfunctions in specific genes to the propagation of medulloblastoma tumors, could contribute to the creation of new brain cancer treatments, said Tsai Jin-wu (蔡金吾), paper coauthor and professor of brain science at the university.
TTBK2 regulates the primary cilia of granule progenitor cells, which function as a kind of antenna that receives the signals guiding development of the undifferentiated cells into parts of the hindbrain, he said.
The related gene HUWE1 governs the growth of progenitor cells by disassembling the primary cilia after their purpose is complete, achieving a dynamic balance essential for normal development, Tsai said.
A malfunctioning HUWE1 breaks the dynamic balance by allowing the cells to proliferate unchecked, leading to the manifestation of brain tumors, he said.
By suppressing the TTBK2 expression, the team discovered that granule progenitor cells could be forced into shedding their antennae, resulting in a significant reduction in the rate of tumor growth, Tsai said.
Coauthor Wang Won-jing (王琬菁) said the study contradicted the scientific community’s previous belief that primary cilia were vestigial remains of evolution that serve no function.
Instead, the researchers uncovered that the cilia performed a vital function for granule progenitor cells by receiving the signals that would control their differentiation and division, she said.
The discovery means that primary cilia might be correlated to drug resistance of brain cancer cells, pointing to a possible method to develop targeted therapeutics for brain tumors, she added.
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