Magdeburg research team discovers important switch for cell survival
The Translational Inflammation Research (TEF) working group headed by CDS member Prof. Dr. Inna Lavrik from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg has identified a promising starting point for the development of more targeted cancer therapies.
The researchers uncovered a specific protein modification in the protein procaspase-8, which is of great importance in the process of programmed cell death. The study was published in the journal Oncogene. This process, which eliminates useless, old and dangerous cells, is often disrupted in cancer. The discovered protein modification, or rather its mutations, could be a promising approach for the identification of targeted drugs in cancer therapy.
First author Fabian Wohlfromm and his research team were able to prove that procaspase-8 is subject to methylation, i.e. a chemical change in the structure of the protein in which methyl groups are attached to residues of the amino acid arginine. This discovery shows that this methylation cannot only modulate the biological activity of proteins, but is also involved in signaling pathways of programmed cell death.
Professor Lavrik emphasizes: "Our study provides the first evidence that arginine methylation is involved in the regulation of programmed cell death. This opens up completely new possibilities for the development of targeted therapies that can specifically target and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells." DNA methylation already plays an important role in medical research, says professor Lavrik. Initial studies suggest that inhibiting protein methylation, especially in cancer, could offer promising treatment approaches.
Scientists from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg research in collaboration on complex dynamic systems. The research of the TEF working is carried put in the framework of the Research Center Dynamic Systems (CDS) and the Magdeburg Center of Systems Biology (MACS).