Liver and bowel cancer: researchers find protein target that could suppress growth

Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute report in Nature Genetics that high levels of nucleophosmin (NPM1) are linked to WNT pathway errors in some bowel and liver cancers, and that blocking NPM1 reduced tumour growth in laboratory studies.

Researchers in Glasgow have identified a protein linked to the growth of some bowel and liver cancers. The team at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute examined why certain cancer-causing genes produce tumours only in specific tissues. They focused on genetic faults in the WNT signalling pathway that tell cells when to grow. A study published in Nature Genetics reports that the protein nucleophosmin (NPM1) is present at high levels in bowel cancer and in some liver cancers associated with these faults. Key findings: - The study found high levels of nucleophosmin (NPM1) in bowel cancer and in some liver cancers, associated with errors in the WNT signalling pathway. - Laboratory experiments showed that removing or blocking NPM1 caused cancer cells to struggle to make proteins and allowed a tumour suppressor to activate, which reduced cancer growth in the models reported. - The research formed part of the SpecifiCancer project, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Mark Foundation, and was published in Nature Genetics. - The article notes population figures reported in the source, including about 4,200 bowel cancer diagnoses per year in the UK and about 670 liver cancer deaths annually in Scotland. Summary: The work identifies NPM1 as a potential target for treatments aimed at cancers that hijack the WNT pathway. Researchers said they will seek medical treatments that block production or function of NPM1 and pursue further testing to determine effects and safety.