BEIJING, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- A team of researchers published in a new issue of the journal Science Advances said that they have confirmed a key role in the metastasis of prostate cancer in their latest study. This will make this enzyme a major potential target for prostate cancer**.
According to researchers from Stanford University and other institutions in the United States, the SMYD3 enzyme has attracted much attention in the field of cancer research because it is abundantly abundant in malignant tumors compared to healthy tissues. The new study sheds light on how the SMYD3 enzyme plays a role in the development of prostate cancer to become more dangerous and aggressive.
Previous studies have found that the SMYD3 enzyme can activate a protein called MAP kinase, which is overactive in cancer cells and promotes tumor growth. The new study further found that the SMYD3 enzyme triggered prostate cancer metastasis by adding a methyl group to this kinase. If the SMYD3 enzyme is inactivated, the possibility of metastasis is greatly reduced.
The research team tried to use inhibitors that can inactivate the SMYD3 enzyme and found that they could effectively kill cancer cells in petri dishes. Next, they hope to conduct animal experiments on mice to further confirm the effects of this inhibitor. In addition, they will explore whether this enzyme plays a similar role in other cancer processes.
According to reports, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men except for ** cancer. The lethality of prostate cancer has fallen by more than half since the 90s of the 20th century, but there is still room for improvement, especially in the prevention of advanced metastatic prostate cancer, which is more likely to be fatal.