Lipids involved in regulating genes discovered

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have developed a new role for the bioactive lipid messenger, sphingosine-1-phosphate or S1P detected which is abundant in the blood - a finding that a new generation of drugs against cancer and inflammatory disease might. In the September 4th issue of the journal Science, a team of Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology VCU, and co-leader of cancer involvement Massey Cancer Center Cell Biology Program directed, said that in the nucleus, the DNA, which contains all of our genes and produce S1P is important for the regulation of certain genes, contains. Researchers know that the nucleus contains several types of lipids, but their functions remained unknown until now. The team identified the mechanisms by which cancer cells produce S1P in the cell nucleus and discovers his new role is the regulation of gene expression.

Mirror, is known internationally recognized for its innovative work on new lipid mediators that regulate cell growth and cell death, and his colleagues discovered the role of S1P in regulating cell growth almost a decade earlier.

In this study, the team showed that S1P produced by Art 2 sphingosine kinase in the cell nucleus, genes regulated by a behavior known as a common type of cancer chemotherapy that activation of genes. Deacetylases are a family of enzymes that regulate the expression of many genes that encode for proteins involved in cancer and many other human diseases. Although several types of histone deacetylase inhibitors are currently in clinical trials, the physiological regulators of these important enzymes were not known.

"Our studies show that S1P is an important physiological regulator of deacetylases," said the lead author of the mirror.

Is: "We believe that our studies relevant to the development of a new class of gene activation to be for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases could help," she said.

According to Spiegel Previous studies have shown that high-type sphingosine kinase-1, one of two enzymes that produce S1P correlated in cells but not in their core, with bad results in many types of human cancers. Spiegel and his team have developed a specific inhibitor type 1 sphingosine kinase and showed it was effective in mice against the growth of human leukemia and brain tumors.