Key Molecules in Cancer Spread Uncovered
10 September 2009 - Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have shed new light on a group of molecules crucial to cancer spread, commonly 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, and are key components of metastasis, but until now scientists have not fully understood what was happening between these molecules.
In the study led by ICR Professor David Barford, scientists mapped the interaction between one DOCK protein and a corresponding Rho protein in three dimensions, creating detailed images of how the molecules slot together at each step of the process.
Professor Barford commented; “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.
“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.”#
