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Vimentin is a sort III intermediate filament (IF) protein usually expressed in cells that grow to be connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymphatic tissue (mesenchymal cells). Regardless of being broadly studied, its position in tumor development and development stays unexplored.
A group of researchers at Queen Mary College of London have found how a small change within the vimentin protein could make breast most cancers extra aggressive. The work is printed within the journal eLife.
By modifying a particular amino acid cysteine to serine residue at place 328 in vimentin, they found that this mutation disrupted the protein’s interplay with the cell’s structural community. Remarkably, the mutated vimentin induced aggressive cancer-like conduct in breast most cancers cells, together with sooner cell development, migration, and invasion accompanied by decreased cell adhesion.
RNA-sequencing additional revealed that the presence of mutant vimentin was related to upregulation of a non-coding RNA known as XIST, suggesting a possible hyperlink between this mutation and gene expression modifications that drive most cancers development.
Researchers additionally discovered that mutant vimentin made breast most cancers cells develop with out relying on the hormone estrogen when injected into immuno-compromised mice. The tumors in these mice confirmed excessive expression of most cancers stem cell markers CD56 and CD20, suggesting a job for mutant vimentin in driving most cancers stem cell-like conduct that’s typically related to tumor development, therapeutic resistance and recurrence.
Senior creator Ahmad Waseem, Professor of Molecular and Mobile Oral Biology on the Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary College of London, mentioned, “Our examine has found a molecular interplay that, when disrupted, causes breast most cancers cells to behave like most cancers stem cells.
“Additionally, we identified a potential biomarker that could help detect these stem-like cells in breast cancer tissues. This discovery represents an important step towards understanding how breast cancer develops and spreads, with potential implications for early diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted treatment strategies.”
The lead creator, Dr. Saima Usman (HEC Fellow), did her Ph.D. with Professor Waseem on this mission.
Co-author Andrew Yeudall, Professor of Oral Biology within the Dental School of Georgia at Augusta College, mentioned, “The examine will open new avenues for our understanding of most cancers stem cell conduct.
“For a number of years, Professor Waseem and I’ve been fascinated about learning the cancer-related roles of vimentin, which is induced in nearly all later-stage tumors which have unfold to different websites within the physique and might be tough to deal with. We used MCF-7, a mannequin breast epithelial cell line, partly as a result of it’s devoid of vimentin, which due to this fact makes it simpler to outline features associated to particular vimentin mutations.
“Our observation that the cells became more aggressive, and that stem cell markers were induced, may unlock the door to new therapeutic approaches for breast and other cancers.”
Extra data:
Saima Usman et al, A single cysteine residue in vimentin regulates lengthy non-coding RNA XIST to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness in breast most cancers, eLife (2025). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.104191
Journal data:
eLife
Offered by
Queen Mary, College of London
Quotation:
Disruption of a single amino acid in a mobile protein makes breast most cancers cells behave like stem cells (2025, February 11)
retrieved 11 February 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-02-disruption-amino-acid-cellular-protein.html
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