Gene Thought to Suppress Cancer May Actually Promote Spread of Colorectal Cancer
A gene that is known to suppress the growth and spread of many types of cancer has the opposite effect in some forms of colorectal cancer, University of Missouri (MU) School of Medicine researchers have found. It is a finding that may lay the foundation for new colorectal cancer treatments. Results of their research were published by Zhang et al in Oncogene.
“The gene known as Sprouty2 (SPRY2) has previously been shown to protect against metastasis…in breast, prostate, and liver cancer,” said Sharad Khare, PhD, Associate Professor of Research in the MU School of Medicine's Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. “However, our recent molecular studies found that this gene may actually help promote metastasis instead of suppress it.”
Study Details
For more than 3 years, Dr. Khare studied SPRY2 in cancer cell models, mouse models, and human biopsy samples. Using different molecular methods, the researchers found that the gene functions differently in colorectal cancer than in other types of cancers. SPRY2 is known to block molecular circuits to prevent cancer cells from growing and spreading to other parts of the body. However, the researchers found that in colorectal cancer, SPRY2 may increase the metastatic ability of cancer cells instead of suppress it. Dr. Khare believes this occurs when the gene is upregulated, or supercharged. Cancer deaths attributed to colorectal cancer are mainly due to tumor recurrence and metastasis to other organs.
“This finding is a very significant step in our understanding of metastasis in colorectal cancer, but it's important to note that we believe this phenomenon may occur in only a subset of colorectal cancer patients,” Dr. Khare said. “We don't yet know why this is the case, but we hope to determine if there is a correlation between the upregulation of this gene and the life expectancy of patients with colorectal cancer. Future studies will help us understand who may be at risk, and ultimately, if personalized treatments can be planned to target this gene.”
Dr. Khare is the corresponding author for the Oncogene article.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
