Novel Technique Reveals Surprising New Way to Suppress Tumor Cells
Source: Weill Cornell Medicine, September 2022
An enzyme (sAC) that produces cAMP moves in and out of the nucleus of melanoma cells and is missing from invasive cancer cells. When inside the nucleus, this enzyme prevents melanoma growth. The diagram illustrates loss of nuclear sAC as the melanoma cells penetrate deeper into the skin. Illustration courtesy of the Zippin lab.
By analyzing key enzymes in a new way, an international team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine has discovered how a well-known signaling molecule can either stimulate or suppress tumor growth depending on where it’s produced. The work, published Sept. 27 in Cell Reports, reveals a new aspect of tumor cell biology, and points to a promising strategy for treating many types of cancer.
Cells use the small molecule cyclic AMP (cAMP) to trigger different effects largely depending on the proteins it activates. For example, past studies have shown that cAMP can either activate or suppress tumor growth under different circumstances. “Most people have studied cAMP by studying the effector proteins that [mediate its activity], or they’ve looked at the [enzymes that] inactivate it,” said co-senior author Dr. Jonathan H. Zippin, vice chair of research and an associate professor of dermatology and pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine, director of dermatology precision medicine at the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, and a dermatologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.