Cell Sub-Journal: Major Discovery! A metabolic enzyme inhibits the growth and spread of liver cancer cells.

Introduction: liver cancer is the third most common malignant tumor with a mortality rate second only to gastric cancer and esophageal cancer.about 110000 people die of liver cancer every year in China, accounting for 45% of the world's liver cancer deaths.recently, a study in the United States found an enzyme that can prevent the rapid growth and proliferation of liver cancer cells, which brings new hope for the treatment of liver cancer in the future.liver cancer is very difficult to treat due to the complexity of its pathogenesis.there is no targeted and effective treatment for liver cancer.recently, a new study in the United States found that an enzyme can prevent and inhibit the rapid growth and proliferation of liver cancer. This discovery may provide new therapy for liver cancer in the future.the study was led by Dr. Jorge moscat, an adjunct professor at Sanford Burnham prebys and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Connell medicine (WCM), and was published online in cancer cell on June 25.the title is "PKC λ / ιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιιι、ιι.is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a disease of excess fat stored in the liver. Its incidence rate in the United States is on the rise, which in turn is related to more common diseases such as obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.Dr Jorge moscat, co-author of the study, said: "compared with other types of cancer, the treatment of liver cancer is not particularly effective, it is a devastating disease.the origin of liver cancer is related to many gene mutations, but scientists have not fully understood which gene mutations are the direct causes of cancer.these mutations seem to play a key role in promoting the development of the disease, but they are difficult to block or slow down, which is the reason why we lack targeted and effective treatment methods for liver cancer."this study shows that low levels of protein kinase C (PKC) λ / I is associated with tumor invasiveness in mice and human hepatoma cells, and the protein has antitumor effect.the researchers also described the metabolic pathway in which PKC λ / I directly blocked and inhibited tumor growth.at present, moscat's research team is trying to find a way to survive and grow cancer cells independent of their gene mutation sources, which is called non carcinogenic vulnerability.previous studies on non carcinogenic vulnerability in his laboratory have shown that PKC λ / I plays an anti-cancer role in colorectal cancer.in this study, moscat described how the loss of PKC λ / I promotes liver tumor proliferation. in order to obtain the fuel for survival, liver cancer cells activate the metabolic process of glucose and lipid combustion. these two processes activate NRF 2 protein, which regulates the expression of specific gene products, thus driving liver cell proliferation and tumor growth. researchers have found that PKC λ / I can prevent liver cancer cells from using these metabolic processes. therefore, when tumors lose PKC λ / I, they become aggressive. by studying mice with liver cancer, the team found that cancer cells could proliferate rapidly when PCK λ / I was removed. they also observed the metabolic process and activation of Nrf2 protein in these mice. moscat and his team also studied 271 human liver cancer samples from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and found that PKC λ / I expression was significantly reduced in invasive cancers. in addition, the low expression of PKC λ / I in non tumor tissues was associated with the invasiveness of malignant tumors. moscat said: "we believe that PKC λ / I marks the aggressiveness of the disease. we believe that patients with lower levels of this kinase are more likely to develop more aggressive cancer. "in future studies, moscat and his laboratory will explore whether PKC λ / I or its activated metabolic pathway can be targeted as a potential treatment. moscat said: "liver cancer is a terrible disease, but if we can regulate kinases or metabolic pathways through drugs, we may develop new treatments. "Ref.: [1] Yotaro Kudo et al, Cancer cell (2020). Doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.018 [2] [3] [4] recommended reading: fighting the epidemic situation, translational medicine network content team series report: [new progress] how does apoE4 gene damage the brain and then cause Alzheimer's disease? [review] review of single cell sequencing studies -- sequel [new findings] genetic engineering can slow down the growth of lung tumor by blocking glucose metabolism [new discovery] University College London: overweight or obesity can increase the risk of dementia, especially for obese women