Radiation Sensitivity for Cancer Cells Could Be Achieved by Targeting DNA

By targeting an enzyme present in the DNA of cells, researchers hope to make cancer more sensitive to radiation therapy without affecting normal cells. The research, conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, concludes that there may be a way to target the DNA of cancer cells, making them weaker and more likely to succumb to the effects of radiation.

The study focused on the enzyme named MOF which affects the DNA in all cells of the human body. It was found that the MOF helps tumor development, but scientists believe that the MOF could be altered to increase the effectiveness of the radiation.

"We think that if we can deplete MOF in tumor cells, but not in healthy cells, we will gain a therapeutic advantage," says Tej K. Pandita, Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology and of genetics and a researcher with the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in a press release. "If we affect MOF in tumor cells, they will be weakened and unable to recover after radiation exposure."

MOF influences how active specific genes within DNA strands are. It has been found to be such an essential component of cell growth that a cell will not live without it. MOF has also been connected to DNA damage repair. Researchers have found that MOF levels in cancer cells are of a similar level as embryo stem cells, indicating that both cells' ability to quickly reproduce may be determined by the MOF in the cell.

Some older research suggests that the loss of a certain tag created by MOR could be an indication of cancer. However, the researchers found that the tags were similar to normal cells in the sample tested. However, it was found that an increase in MOF in cells caused greater cell growth and signs of cancer. When these cells altered with a larger amount of MOF were injected into mice, these cells grew faster in comparison to other tumor cells.

Researchers also found that lower than normal levels of MOF in cancer cells made them more likely to respond to radiation therapy.
The study believes that if the MOF specifically in cancer cells can be targeted, then the effectiveness of radiation therapy will be dramatically increased.

"Our research on MOF shows that it is a component that is absolutely needed for cells to proliferate," Pandita said in a press release issued about the study. "It could be the Achilles' heel of cancerous growth."

SOURCES:

Washington University in St. Louis, "Discovery could increase tumors' sensitivity to radiation therapy" Eurekalert