Epigenetic marks can silence genes and alter protein production, affecting the growth and development of living creatures. Neutralizing the enzyme that creates this specific epigenetic mark can make a dog more susceptible to treatment for hemangiosarcoma.
The team used hemangiosarcoma cell lines to identify the new potential target. They focused on epigenetic marks at the beginning of messenger RNA (mRNA), called RNA caps. The newly discovered epigenetic mark is created by an enzyme called Tri methyl guanosine synthase 1 (TGS1), which makes the enzyme a potential target.
"Scientists recognize caps are key players in cell biology, but until now, no one has discovered how they were implicated in sarcoma growth," this report explains.
They discovered that the enzyme TGS1 converts select mRNA caps from epigenetic marks that allow the tumorous cells to grow. They found that redirecting the source of TGS1 away from the rogue pathway that feeds the tumor and using an existing cancer therapy called mTOR inhibitor can block new TGS1 proteins from being made, cutting tumors off from their source and reversing their trajectory.
The study led by Kathleen Boris-Lawrie, a professor in the CVM Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Dora Zucko was experimental, and further research will need to determine whether or not using TGS1 as a target could, indeed, make dogs more susceptible to treatment.
