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NUS Medicine Uncovers Promising New Approach for Colorectal Cancer Treatment
- Researchers at NUS Medicine in Singapore have discovered that Dual-Specificity Phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) plays a key role in promoting colorectal cancer (CRC) tumor growth.
- Experimental evaluations have shown that CRC cells with high levels of DUSP6 proliferate about 40% more than those with lower levels, according to the study which was published in Nature Communications.
- Clinically, high DUSP6 expression is linked to patients with an unfavorable prognosis and reduced survival rates.
- DUSP6 acts as a “switch-off” mechanism and regulates cell signalling pathways.
- Under physiological conditions, DUSP6 stops cellular proliferation by inactivating ERK1/2, which is crucial for cell growth, repair, and survival.
- However, DUSP6 exhibits tumor-promoting characteristics in colorectal cancer, presenting a new opportunity for targeted cancer therapy.
- The research team, led by Associate Professor Zhang Yongliang from NUS Medicine’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is exploring new therapeutic avenues to mitigate the damaging effects of DUSP6 in CRC.
- The study also revealed the protective role of DUSP6 for the cancer cells against the degradation of Notch1.
- Notch1 pathway governs essential cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, but its signaling is often dysregulated in CRC, resulting in enhanced tumor growth and poor patient prognosis.
- By inhibiting DUSP6, therapeutic interventions could restore Notch1’s normal regulatory effects, potentially leading to favorable outcomes for CRC patients.
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