Stopping cell migration may help block fibrosis and the spread of cancer

May 21, 2012 By Helen Dodson in Medical research

Stopping cell migration may help block fibrosis and the spread of cancer

Enlarge

(Medical Xpress) -- Discoveries by a Yale-led team of scientists could lead the way for development of new therapies for treating fibrosis and tumor metastasis. The researchers have both uncovered a signaling pathway that promotes cell migration in certain forms of pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly lung disease, and developed a drug treatment that may block the cancer cell migration. The study appears in the Advance Online Publication of Nature Cell Biology.

Pulmonary fibrosis is the development of excessive connective tissue in the lungs. It can develop without a known cause, and produces permanent in the lungs.  There is no known cure or treatment to slow down its progress.

Cell migration is the biological process by which cells move around the body, often contributing to the development or spread of diseases such as fibrosis or metastatic cancer.

Fibroblast connective tissue cells and cancer cells migrate in a way that requires sustained activation of signaling pathways. But until now the regulation of these cellular functions has been poorly understood. The Yale team studied the workings of a stimulant of cell migration known as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). They identified the chemical reactions that ultimately induce , but more importantly, discovered a way to block the pathway via inhibition of the proteins responsible for promoting the migration.

Senior author Dianqing (Dan) Wu, professor of pharmacology and vascular biology at Yale School of Medicine and member of Yale Cancer Center, explained, “Our ability to block the pathway provides a potential therapeutic target for treating , a very serious disease that lacks effective treatments, and other types of fibrosis. Because cancer cells, particularly melanoma and lung cancer cells containing activated BRAF genetic mutations, can use this signaling pathway to migrate, blocking this pathway could also prevent metastasis of these cancers.”

More information: Other authors are Xiaoqing Gan, Jiyong Wang and Chen Wang of Yale; Eeva Sommer and Dario Alessi of the University of Dundee; Tohru Kozasa of the University of Illinois at Chicago; Srinivasa Srinivasula of the National Cancer Institute; Stefan Offermanns of the Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research; and Melvin I. Simon of the University of California at San Diego.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Ellison Medical Foundation.

Journal reference: Nature Cell Biology search and more info website

Provided by Yale University search and more info website

4.7 /5 (3 votes)  

Rank 4.7 /5 (3 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Study reveals new mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

Medical research created 49 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

MRI-based measurement helps predict vascular disease in the brain

Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal ...

Medical research created 53 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Antibiotics: A new understanding of sulfonamide nervous system side effects

Since the discovery of Prontosil in 1932, sulfonamide antibiotics have been used to combat a wide spectrum of bacterial infections, from acne to chlamydia and pneumonia. However, their side effects can include serious neurological ...

Medical research created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists discover molecule triggers sensation of itch

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as the sensation of ...

Medical research created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discarded immune cells induce the relocation of stem cells

Spanish researchers have discovered that the daily clearance of neutrophils from the body stimulates the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, according to a report published today ...

Medical research created 4 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


Diabetes' genetic underpinnings can vary based on ethnic background, studies say

Ethnic background plays a surprisingly large role in how diabetes develops on a cellular level, according to two new studies led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Scientists discover cinnamon compounds' potential ability to prevent Alzheimer's

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of –– or warding off ...

Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7N9 avian influenza virus

Chinese and U.S. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian ...

Death rates decline for advanced heart failure patients, but outcomes are still not ideal

UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden ...

Second child contracts polio in Pakistan's Waziristan

A second child has contracted polio in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border after the Taliban banned vaccinations there nearly a year ago, a UN official said Thursday.

McDonald's can't shake criticism about nutrition

(AP)—McDonald's once again faced criticism that it's a purveyor of junk food that markets to children at its annual shareholder meeting Thursday.