‘Lack of oxygen makes breast cancer cells more invasive’

Bhopal: A research group at Department of Biological Sciences of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have uncovered how breast cancer cells become more invasive when oxygen is scarce, a condition known as hypoxia. Their study was published in international journal PLOS Biology. A team led by Prof. Sanjeev Shukla from the Department of Biological Sciences has made the discovery about breast cancer. The star of the show is a protein called PRMT5. It teams up with another protein, CTCF, to make cancer cells super invasive. "When oxygen drops, CTCF sticks to the PRMT5 gene and turns it on like a switch. This ramps up PRMT5 production. Once active, PRMT5 tweaks how DNA is packed inside cells. This change kicks off a chain reaction affecting a gene named TCF3," said Prof Shukla. This whole process drives something called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT. EMT turns sticky, settled cancer cells into wanderers that can break away and travel through the body. "This breakthrough explains how tumors survive and thrive in tough, low-oxygen spots. PRMT5 emerges from this work as a promising molecular target. While much remains to be done before this can inform clinical therapies, these findings lay important groundwork," said Prof. Shukla. The exciting part is that the researchers tested a drug called GSK591 that blocks PRMT5. When they did, the cancer cells stopped being so invasive. They couldn't spread as easily anymore.