A researcher has discovered an enzyme that plays a key role in the ability of cancer cells to resist drug treatment.
Immunomodulatory drugs like thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide have improved the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma and other blood cancers. But almost all patients eventually develop resistance to these therapies.
The principal investigator discovered that a protein called USP15 is highly expressed in cancer cells that become resistant to the standard immunomodulatory drugs.
“This USP15 protein protects the cancer cells from destruction by removing ubiquitin tags placed on the cells by the immunomodulatory drugs,” the author said. “Those tags initiate the cell degradation process. But if those tags are removed by USP15, the cancer cells will continue to grow and multiply.”
The author believes testing multiple myeloma patients for USP15 will help determine if a patient will be resistant to immunomodulatory drug therapy. That knowledge could lead to a more precise, customized treatment.
“This work could lead us to discover whether a USP15 inhibitor in combination with other drugs will be more effective to treat cancers,” the author said. “Further studies will be required to determine the best combination to improve clinical outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma and other types of cancer.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/40/e2111391118
A key gene responsible for cancer drug resistance identified!
- 1,664 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Metabolic rewiring promotes…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
A drug to prevent flu-induc…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
New origin of deep brain waves
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Starving cells hijack prote…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Miniature battery-free epid…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Other Top Stories
Artificially infect mosquitoes with human malaria to identify new c…
Read more
Local immune response to food antigens drives meal-induced abdomina…
Read more
Highly specific single-chain multivalent nanobodies against SARS-C…
Read more
Strong link between gut microbes, diet and health in humans
Read more
Characterization of a new Leishmania major strain for use in a cont…
Read more
Protocols
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Modular dual-color BiAD sen…
By newseditor
Posted 31 Mar
Publications
How does the microbiota con…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
The integrated stress respo…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
The immunobiology of herpes…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Circulating microbiome DNA…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Spindle oscillations in com…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar