Barcelona Biochemists Link Enzyme to Early Lung Cancer
Scientists in Spain have detected an enzyme which is present while lung lesions — especially those caused by cigarette smoking — are still precancerous. The discovery could help assess who’s at risk of developing lung cancer.
During their study researchers found that an enzyme, known as AKR1B10, lowered levels of retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A involved in cell proliferation and development. Reduction of the acid impairs cell differentiation contributing to carcinogenesis.
Since the enzyme is only found in large quantities in lung cancer patients the scientists say it makes an attractive target for chemotherapies to treat the disease. The presence of AKR1B10 in premalignant lung lesions may also offer doctors a biomarker they can use to diagnose lung cancer earlier or to help prevent its onset altogether.
The research was directed by Xavier Parés and Juame Farrés from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and included scientists from Biomedical Research Institute of the Science Park of Barcelona, the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona, the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies and the University of Vigo, Galicia.
Findings from the Spanish study have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Source: AlphaGalileo.org
Related Links: UAB; Lung Cancer Online Foundation; World Health Organization
Related Video: Lung Cancer Video from the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Related Podcast: Lung Cancer – Risk Factors and Types of Lung Cancer from MUSC Health Audio Podcasts
Tags: retinol; lung disease; non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); thoracic oncology; COPD
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