InfectiousDiseaseNews.com
10-21-5
Vibrantly colored creatures from the depths of the South Pacific Ocean harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs, according to research findings from University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemists and their Italian colleagues at the Universita degli Studi di Napoli in Naples, Italy
The research team has defined the structure of the toxins and provided a basic understanding that can be used to synthesize pharmaceuticals, according to a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"We,ve determined how this class of toxins interacts with actin, an important protein responsible for cellular structure and movement, said Ivan Rayment, a professor of biochemstry in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, who worked with John Allingham, a postdoctoral fellow, on the study.
The toxins, which are produced naturally by organisms that exist symbiotically on deep sea sponges, work by disrupting the activity of actin, an abundant protein that gives structure to eukaryotic cells.
"Actin forms long chains, or filaments, that are essential for cellular locomotion, division and growth, Allingham said in a statement. "Because cancer cell masses grow faster than other cells in the body, actin provides an excellent target for drugs that could inhibit such rapid growth.
Simple marine organisms provide a promising source of natural anti-tumor compounds. Recent structural and functional studies reveal that many toxic marine macrolides use a common strategy for interacting with actin in the cytoskeleton of cancer cells. This provides constraints for the design of new pharmacological agents.
Prior to the study published in PNAS, it was known that the marine toxins affect several forms of cancer, but researchers did not know how they worked. The recent findings will enable the toxins to be synthesized in a lab instead of harvested from the depths of the ocean floor, meaning that the drugs can be engineered to be as effective as possible.
The work was supported in part by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship, a grant from the National Institutes of Health and the state of Wisconsin.
Vibrantly colored creatures from the depths of the South Pacific Ocean harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs, according to research findings from University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemists and their Italian colleagues at the Universita degli Studi di Napoli in Naples, Italy
The research team has defined the structure of the toxins and provided a basic understanding that can be used to synthesize pharmaceuticals, according to a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"We,ve determined how this class of toxins interacts with actin, an important protein responsible for cellular structure and movement, said Ivan Rayment, a professor of biochemstry in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, who worked with John Allingham, a postdoctoral fellow, on the study.
The toxins, which are produced naturally by organisms that exist symbiotically on deep sea sponges, work by disrupting the activity of actin, an abundant protein that gives structure to eukaryotic cells.
"Actin forms long chains, or filaments, that are essential for cellular locomotion, division and growth, Allingham said in a statement. "Because cancer cell masses grow faster than other cells in the body, actin provides an excellent target for drugs that could inhibit such rapid growth.
Simple marine organisms provide a promising source of natural anti-tumor compounds. Recent structural and functional studies reveal that many toxic marine macrolides use a common strategy for interacting with actin in the cytoskeleton of cancer cells. This provides constraints for the design of new pharmacological agents.
Prior to the study published in PNAS, it was known that the marine toxins affect several forms of cancer, but researchers did not know how they worked. The recent findings will enable the toxins to be synthesized in a lab instead of harvested from the depths of the ocean floor, meaning that the drugs can be engineered to be as effective as possible.
The work was supported in part by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship, a grant from the National Institutes of Health and the state of Wisconsin.
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