Nat Commun: Fine amine synths with MYC is a mess! Synergy promotes colorectal cancer cell survival!

July 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by researchers at the University of Kentucky has identified a new feature of spermine synthase, SMS, which promotes the growth of colorectal cancerSMS is an enzyme that produces fine amine from subamine and has been shown to be important for cell growthHowever, excessive accumulation of subamine can have a detrimental effect on cell vitalityScientists are not clear about how tumor cells maintain relatively high levels but below the toxicthreshold to promote tumor growth levels of the subamineLed by Professor Qing-Bai She of the Department of Pharmacology and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, a team of researchers led by Markey Cancer Center found that Overexpression of SMS in colorectal cancer plays an important role in balancing cell levels of subamine, which are necessary for colorectal cancer growthPhoto Credit: The Nature Communications team further revealed a link between the SMS signaling pathway and the cancer gene MYC to keep colorectal cancer cells alive, and the gene plays a role in many cancer typesStudies have shown that combining inhibition of SMS and MYC signals can induce tumor cell death and tumor subsidy, and may be a promising treatment for bowel cancer"Our findings provide an in-depth understanding of how polyamine metabolic pathways interact with cancer-causing signaling pathways during tumor spotting and highlight the unmet need for clinically effective SMS inhibitors for targeted therapy," She said"References: Study provides new insight on colorectal cancer cancer growthyubin et alSpermine synthase and MYC fiyfi to maintainrectal cancer cell by survival by repressing bim expression, Nature Communications (2020)DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17067-x.