Key Molecules in Cancer Spread Uncovered
Thursday 10 September 2009
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have shed new light on a group of molecules crucial to cancer spread, according to research published today in the journal Science.
The study brings hope that a drug will be developed to fight the spread of cancer, known as metastasis, which is responsible for 90 per cent of all cancer patient deaths.
The interaction between the Rho family of proteins and the DOCK family of proteins is critical for the cancer cells to change shape and spread through the body. DOCK proteins are known to activate, or switch on, Rho proteins, but until now scientists have not understood exactly what was happening between these molecules.
In a study funded by Cancer Research UK, ICR Professor of Molecular Biology David Barford and his team mapped the interaction between one DOCK protein and a corresponding Rho protein in three dimensions. They created detailed images of how the molecules slot together at each step of the process.
“We’ve known for some time that DOCK proteins help control the movement of cancer cells when they try to spread throughout the body and invade other organs, making them a very attractive target for the development of new drugs to prevent metastasis,” Professor Barford says.
“Yet despite their important biological role, little was understood about how exactly DOCK proteins operated. By unravelling this mechanism, we have paved the way for the development of a drug that could effectively stop metastasis.”
Professor Chris Marshall, study co-author and Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology at the ICR, added: “Understanding and tackling metastasis is one of the most important areas of our research. DOCK proteins are key components of metastasis and our new knowledge of how they operate will help us achieve our vision for people to live their lives free from the fear of cancer as a life threatening disease.”
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Media Contact: Lucy Duggan on lucy.duggan@icr.ac.uk or 020 7153 5359
Note to editors:
- High resolution images of the protein interactions are available on request
- The family of proteins known as Rho GTPase (Rho guanosine triphosphatases) help cancer cells change shape, allowing them to spread through the body. The DOCK family of proteins also play a role in this process as they are responsible for turning on and off the Rho proteins, but until now scientists have not known exactly how this occurs. The ICR team used structural analysis to find a nucleotide sensor on DOCK9 that contributes to the exchange of guanosine diphosphate (GDP) for guanosine triphosphate (GTP), setting off a biological chain reaction that ends with Rho GTPase Cdc42 being switched on.
The Institute of Cancer Research
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting-edge research. In 2009, the ICR marks its 100 years of groundbreaking research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The ICR is home to the world’s leading academic drug development team, which has developed many drugs now used as standard cancer treatments. It continues to be at the forefront of drug development, discovering an average of two preclinical candidates each year over the past five years. In December 2008, the ICR was ranked as the UK’s leading academic research centre by the Times Higher Education’s Table of Excellence, based on the results of the Higher Education Funding Council’s Research Assessment Exercise. The ICR is a charity that relies on voluntary income, for more information visit www.icr.ac.uk.
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research.
- The charity’s groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has saved millions of lives. This work is funded entirely by the public.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates double in the last thirty years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,500 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org.
