Pcl1 gene
Trinity College Dublin Scientists have identified a novel target that could help to identify ‘cancer stem cells’ while they are in their inactive state. The scientists could then jolt these cells into action so that they could be eliminated by 3radio or chemotherapeutic approaches.
The team discovered that a specific protein (PCL1) kicks a famous cancer-associated protein (p53) into action in our bodies. The p53 protein suspends cells in a dormant, non-dividing state = ‘quiescence’. When cells are in this state, they are much harder to target therapeutically.
Blocking PCL1 should set a chain of events in motion that will cause cancer cells to leave the cover of quiescence so that they can be targeted and eliminated.
Assistant Professor in Medical Molecular Genetics at Trinity, Dr...
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