Selective Disruption of Replication in Cancerous Cells by Targeting PCNA

The future of cancer therapy will involve the targeting of mechanisms found broadly in many or all different types of cancer, that cancer cells cannot dispense with as they evolve rapidly within a tumor, and which have little to no effect on non-cancerous cells. Targeting telomerase to prevent the lengthening of telomeres can check the first two of those boxes, leaving the question of how best to effectively restrict the treatment to tumor cells. Targeting alternative lengthening of telomeres can check the second and third boxes, but the mechanism only operates in a minority of cancers. The research community is engaged in finding other approaches that might satisfy some of these goals; a few candidates exist. The research noted here is one example of a potentially broadly applicable strategy that disrupts cancer cell replication. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an evolutionarily conserved multifaceted protein found in all eukaryotic cells, and it plays a critical role in DNA synthesis and in DNA repair. PCNA forms a ring structure encircling DNA and it acts as a central "hub" to provide an anchorage for the many proteins involved in the replication and repair pathways. The cellular functions of PCNA can be modulated through post-translational modifications on the surface of the protein, altering partner interactions. Historically, PCNA has been widely used as a tumor progression marker. DNA replication stress is a hallmark of cancer cells. It is ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs