Researchers capture prostate cancer cells changing the cells around them for the first time
Prostate cancer cells change the behaviour of other cells around them, including normal cells, by ‘spitting out’ a protein from their nucleus, new research has found.
The tiny pieces of protein are taken up by the other cells, provoking changes that promote tumour growth and – the researchers believe - help the cancer hide from the body’s immune system.
The process has been captured for the first time on video by researchers at the University of Bradford and University of Surrey.
Lead researcher, Professor Richard Morgan from the University of Bradford, said: “For tumours to survive, grow bigger and spread they need to control the behaviour of cancer cells and the normal cells around them and we’ve found a means by which they do this. Blocking this process could be a potential target for future cancer therapy.”
The research focused on a protein called EN2 that has a role in early development of the brain but has also been found at high levels in many types of cancer cells.
