Scientists have developed a new method of treating blood cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In the US, three thousand new cases of mantle cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, are recorded annually. With this diagnosis, the average life expectancy of the patient is about five to seven years, depending on the clinical picture of the disease.
Employees of Tel Aviv University have developed a new technique for treating mantle cell lymphoma, which is based on the phenomenon of RNA interference.
One of the characteristics that can predict the development of mantle cell lymphoma is the increased activity of the CCND1 gene, which leads to the encoding of the Cyclin D1 protein, the function of which is to regulate cell proliferation.
As a result of hyperactivity of the mutated CCND1, Cyclin D1 overproduces in thousands of folds, which leads to uncontrolled growth of neoplasms.
Scientists have already made attempts to "disconnect" the gene CCND1, but they have not succeeded in success. Therefore, researchers decided to use one of the natural processes of suppressing gene overexpression - RNA interference.
Their method, proved in the course of experiments with human cells, is published in the journal PLoS One.
During the inhibition of activity, the Dicer enzyme cuts long double-stranded RNA molecules into short fragments, the length of which is 21-25 nucleoids. These enzymes then participate in the protein complex, which takes part in the damage to the matrix RNA, which leads to inhibition of gene expression.
RNA interference is part of the immune response to foreign genetic material. Activation of the process is carried out by the method of introducing double-stranded RNA, specially synthesized and complementary to the given gene.
"The fact that, in mantle cell lymphoma, the overabundance of Cyclin D1 also provokes the production of B-lymphocytes, cells that are capable of producing antibodies in tandem with an antigen make it an excellent target for RNA interference. This is because the process affects exactly those tumor cells in which the content of Cyclin D1 is exceeded, "the researchers say.
As a result, it was found that this method stops the growth of tumor cells and the process of dying off of malignant cells begins.
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