British scientists have found a critical clue to new breast cancer treatments – in bacteria, it was announced last night.
A study of bacteria has identified a molecule with the ability to control a cancer-causing protein, according to Cambridge University researchers.
The protein, FOXM1, is abundant in breast cancer cells, playing a key role in helping the disease to get going, scientists say.
It also helps tumours to spread – and triggers the growth of blood vessels for tumours, they say.
According to the latest research, published in Nature Chemistry, the newly-discovered molecule thiostrepton is not suitable to use for developing drugs.
But the discovery will stimulate the search for similar chemicals that could be used for anti-cancer treatments.
Researcher Professor Shankar Balasubramanian, of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, said: “Before this research we weren’t aware of any natural product which could directly target a protein that controls gene activity.
"Yet intriguingly a molecule in bacteria – which also has strong antibiotic effects – does this very well, switching off cancer-causing genes in breast cancer cells.
“This naturally-occurring molecule doesn’t have all the right properties to be used as a breast cancer treatment itself. But this exciting discovery paves the way for the design of more potent and selective drugs based on the structure of thiostrepton to block the FOXM1 protein.”
Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, said: “Survival rates for breast cancer have been improving for 30 years thanks to the development of more targeted treatments. But there is more to be done.
"One huge challenge is how to prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of the body – once a cancer has spread it becomes more difficult to treat successfully. It’s fascinating to discover how a simple bacteria could hold the key to powerful new approaches to treat breast cancer developing and spreading.”
The transcription factor FOXM1 is a cellular target of the natural product thiostrepton. Hegde et al. Nature Chemistry August 21 2011.
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