During tumor growth, cancer cells can break off and travel in the bloodstream or lymph system to other parts of the body, in a process called metastasis.
The researchers were looking at breast and lung cancer cells and they found that a protein called MARK4 enables the cells to break free and move around to other parts of the body, such as the brain and liver. Although scientist are still unsure how it does this, one theory is it affects the cell's internal scaffolding, enabling it to move more easily around the body.
The team found that a molecule called miR-515-5p helps to silence, or switch off, the gene that produces MARK4.
In the study, the team used human breast cancer and lung cancer cells to show that the miR-515-5p molecule silences the gene MARK4. They then confirmed this in mouse models, which showed that increasing the amount of miR-515-5p prevents the spread of cancer cells. The findings also revealed that the silencer molecule was found in lower levels in human tumors that had spread around the body.
The team then also established that patients with breast and lung cancers whose tumors had low amounts of these silencer molecules -- or high amounts of MARK4 -- had lower survival rates.
Researchers are now investigating whether either the MARK4 gene or the silencer molecule could be targeted with drugs. They are also investigating whether these molecules could be used to develop a test to indicate whether a patient's cancer is likely to spread.
http://embor.embopress.org/content/early/2016/02/10/embr.201540970
Micro RNA controls cancer migration
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