ID :
212117
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 07:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/212117
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Scientists identify agent that can enhance human anti-cancer cells
SEOUL (Yonhap) - An international research team led by a South Korean scientist has identified an agent that affects the ability of killer cells already present in human bodies to fight cancer, the science ministry said Tuesday.
The team from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) has confirmed that an abundance of newly identified microRNA-27a* (miR-27a*) in the so-called "natural killer cells" inhibits the production of perforin and granzyme, which help fight cancer, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
"So for natural killer cells, microRNA-27a* is a negative agent," Kim Tae-don, a researcher from KRIBB, said in a telephone interview.
The discovery is significant because scientists did not previously know how the production of perforin and granzyme was controlled.
Laboratory experiments showed that injecting miR-27a* into natural killer cells caused a significant deactivation of the cancer-fighting cells, while an injection of microRNA inhibitor led to significantly increased activities of killer cells, the ministry said.
The research, partly funded by the science ministry, was jointly conducted with a team led by Prof. E. Peter Greenberg from University of Washington. It was published Sept. 30 on the Web site of a U.S. science journal, Blood.
"For effective treatment of cancer, optimizing activities by immune cells such as natural killer cells is an important step," the ministry said in a press release. "The discovery of miR-27a* will be helpful in strengthening natural killer cells, and can be applied to other immune system cells, which in turn may help develop a cure for cancer."
The team from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) has confirmed that an abundance of newly identified microRNA-27a* (miR-27a*) in the so-called "natural killer cells" inhibits the production of perforin and granzyme, which help fight cancer, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
"So for natural killer cells, microRNA-27a* is a negative agent," Kim Tae-don, a researcher from KRIBB, said in a telephone interview.
The discovery is significant because scientists did not previously know how the production of perforin and granzyme was controlled.
Laboratory experiments showed that injecting miR-27a* into natural killer cells caused a significant deactivation of the cancer-fighting cells, while an injection of microRNA inhibitor led to significantly increased activities of killer cells, the ministry said.
The research, partly funded by the science ministry, was jointly conducted with a team led by Prof. E. Peter Greenberg from University of Washington. It was published Sept. 30 on the Web site of a U.S. science journal, Blood.
"For effective treatment of cancer, optimizing activities by immune cells such as natural killer cells is an important step," the ministry said in a press release. "The discovery of miR-27a* will be helpful in strengthening natural killer cells, and can be applied to other immune system cells, which in turn may help develop a cure for cancer."
