Gene deletion allows cancer cells to thrive when migrating within the brain
A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center believes their survival may be due to deficiency of a tumor suppressor gene called quaking (QKI), a potential new target for therapies. Findings from the study, led by Jian Hu, Ph.D., assistant professor of the Department of Cancer Biology, were published in the Nov. 14 online issue of Nature Genetics . "Cancer stem cells require 'niches' to remain viable but it is unclear how they survive in an environment outside of these niches both within the same tissues or during invasion to other organs," said Hu. "We discovered that QKI is a major regulator of these cancer stem cells in glioblastoma, the deadliest type of brain tumor." "Evidence is emerging that some brain cancer cells called glioma stem cells possess an inexhaustible ability to self-renew and produce tumors that resemble the features of original tumors," said Hu. Self-renewal is a unique feature of all stem cells tha...