New research suggests that the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells can lead to a state of aging, affecting their ability to **. This finding challenges current cancer approaches using growth and inhibitors and suggests the need for alternative strategies. Researchers at ETH Zurich have revealed what happens when cells exceed their normal size and enter a state of senescence. Their new findings help optimize cancer**.
If cells in cell culture are grown under the action of an inhibitor, they will overgrow and permanently lose their capacity. However, if the cells receive both inhibitors and growth inhibitors, they are still able to do so after they are discontinued. These findings can be used for certain cancers**, but clinical trials and confirmation are needed first.
Growth is a fundamental biological process and a prerequisite for the development and reproduction of living organisms. The cell growth process (i.e., the generation of new biomass) and the cellular process must be coordinated with each other.
In multicellular organisms such as humans, the growth of cells must also be in harmony with the environment so that the cells exist in the appropriate number and size to form functional tissues or organs. As a result, cell growth is tightly regulated and only grows when a specific growth signal is present.
But cancer cells are different. They grow uncontrollably, repeatedly**, and do not respond to stop signals from the environment.
Only cells that are suppressed (left) continue to grow and lose their ability, while cells that are both inhibited in growth and ** are not. **sandhya manohar / eth zürich
The dual nature of cancer cells
Now, several studies published in the journal Molecular Cell have shown that uncontrolled growth is not only a strength but also a weakness for cancer cells.
One of the studies was led by Professor Gabriel Neurohr from the Institute of Biochemistry at ETH Zurich. For several years, he and his research team have been studying how cell growth affects cell function. They are also studying what happens when cells exceed their normal size and enter a state that researchers call senescence. In this state, the cells become unusually large and lose their abilities. However, they are still active and can influence their surroundings, such as releasing messenger matter.
Senescent cells are found in normal tissues and play an important role in the aging process. However, aging can also be induced with chemicals, and it is also a target for some cancers because senescence causes cells to lose their ability.
Decreased DNA repair capacity
Sandhya Manohar, a colleague at NeuroHR, has now investigated whether excessive cell size affects the function of senescent cells. In the study, she treated a non-cancer cell line and a breast cancer cell line with a substance that inhibits growth and **.
When she uses only inhibiting substances in cell cultures, the cells are indeed no longer able to, but they continue to grow and enter the senescence phase. As a result, they permanently lose their capabilities. This effect persisted even after Manohar discontinued the use of ** inhibitors.
A significant reason for the loss of ability is that enlarged cells can no longer repair damage to their genetic material, such as double-stranded DNA breaks. This break always occurs spontaneously when the cell copies its genetic material in front of the cell**.
In addition, these cells are unable to properly activate a key signaling pathway (p53-p21) that is essential for coordinating responses to DNA breaks. Therefore, the efficiency of damage repair is not high enough. What this means for enlarged cells is that they accumulate so many irreparable DNA breaks that they can no longer be done.
Questioning the joint in cancer**
However, when the researchers simultaneously ** cells with substances that inhibit ** and inhibit growth, the cells were able to normal** and multiply again after stopping the use of both substances. Neurohr said:"In cancer**, that's exactly what you don't want to see. Growth and **inhibitors have been used in cancer**. Based on our observations in cell culture, we expect an increase in rates when both inhibitors and growth inhibitors are used to tumors. It would be more reasonable to start with an inhibitor and then use a drug that further damages the cell's DNA and renders it completely incapacitated. "
Further research and clinical implications
So far, ETH researchers have only tested their new findings on cell cultures. Because cell growth and cell growth are closely related to the cellular environment, the research team was unable to apply these results directly to the clinic. Therefore, it is first necessary to conduct experiments on organ tissues or tissue samples to better test potential methods. In addition, clinical studies are underway on various combinations of ** inhibitors and other drugs.
The idea proposed by the eth researchers led by NeuroHR is supported by three other international research group studies, which were also published in the same issue of the journal Molecular Cell.
These studies have shown that hyperthriving cancer cells are very sensitive to inhibitors. Since these substances have been used** for some types of breast cancer, the new findings may have long-term effects on the cancer**.
Compiled from: scitechdaily