Cancer Res: identify the key proteins in endometrial cancer or help to develop new targeted therapies

February 17, 2020 / Biogen / -- estrogen plays a variety of key roles in men and women's bodies (including healthy tissues and even cancer medium), and in breast cancer In gynecological cancer, estrogen can send signals to tumor to guide the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells In recent years, many studies have clarified the role of estrogen in promoting cancer growth in breast cancer In endometrial cancer, estrogen in tumor Growth plays a key role, but opinions about how to affect the incidence of breast cancer do not seem to be applicable to the treatment of endometrial cancer Photo source: Jay Gertz lab, Huntsman Cancer Institute recently published a research report in the international journal Cancer Research Researchers from the huntsman Cancer Institute revealed the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer through research The relevant research results may help to develop new anti-cancer therapies According to researcher Adriana Rodriguez, we started our research on the mechanism of estrogen signal in endometrial cancer Although we all know that estrogen receptor affects the expression of different genes in endometrial cancer and breast cancer, most of the research on estrogen receptor comes from the research on breast cancer, In this study, the researchers looked for special proteins that affect the function of estrogen receptor in endometrial cancer cells, and found that the protein named etv4 plays a very important role in how estrogen communicates with endometrial cancer cells; estrogen sends growth promoting signals to cancer cells, and estrogen receptor can also perform these signals when it comes from the uterus After etv4 is removed from endometrial cancer cells, the estrogen signal will be greatly reduced, which will lead to the decrease of tumor growth To the researchers' surprise, etv4 can help promote the transmission of estrogen signal in two ways: first, it will tell which site the estrogen receptor binds to the gene group, and second, it will promote the activation of more estrogen receptors If the researchers find out Those who promote the activation of etv4 may have a chance to reduce the growth promoting estrogen signal in uterine tumors Using advanced genomic technology and in collaboration with multiple researchers, the researchers used human tumors from mice In the study, they analyzed the functions of etv4 and estrogen receptor in endometrial cancer Finally, researcher Gertz said that endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer and the fourth most common cancer that causes the death of Utah women Unfortunately, endometrial cancer is on the rise now, and the treatment methods are very limited The results of this study may be helpful for the research Researchers are looking for new ways to block estrogen signaling in endometrial cancer Original sources: Adriana C Rodriguez, Jeffery M vahrenkamp, Kristofer C Berrett, et al Etv4 is necessary for estrogen signaling and growth in ultimate cancer cells, cancer research (2020) Doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-1382