ACS cent SCI: a new study reveals the mechanism of anti-cancer stem cells by sarithromycin

July 24, 2018 / BIOON / - a research team from Lund University in Sweden has developed a new fluorescent molecule that can inhibit tumor stem cells By capturing the fluorescence information when the molecule enters the cell, researchers can use cell biology to reveal how and where the molecule interacts with tumor stem cells Photo source: ACS cent SCI Sulithromycin is a small molecule produced by Streptococcus Previous studies have shown that this molecule can selectively exert effects on tumor stem cells, but the underlying mechanism is not clear Now, researchers at Lund University have created a fluorescent variant of salinomycin to study how it works "We already know where it ends up when it's absorbed by cancer cells By making this molecule fluoresce, we've managed to capture how it works " Professor Daniel strand, who led an organic chemistry research group at Lund University, said Researchers have long known that this molecule can transport potassium ions through the cell membrane Still, the researchers were surprised to see the image of the molecule in the cell "Members of the study were naive at first to think that this molecule works outside the cell membrane." Said Daniel strand "But our imaging data show that the molecule quickly passes through the cell membrane and enters the endoplasmic reticulum, the organelle, which is also the site where the molecule functions as an ion transporter." It's this specific effect that has led researchers to find out why this molecule specifically reduces the proportion of tumor stem cells The study will help researchers develop new drugs to treat cancer and reduce its recurrence rate Reference materials: Xiaoli Huang et al, the molecular basis for initiation of stemlake cancer cells by salinomycin, ACS Central Science (2018) Doi: 10.1021/acscientsci.8b00257