(Press-News.org) A study led by Nagoya University in Japan has identified three previously unknown membrane proteins in ovarian cancer. Using a unique technology consisting of nanowires with a polyketone coating, the group succeeded in capturing the proteins, demonstrating a new detection method for identification of ovarian cancer.
The discovery of new biomarkers is important for detecting ovarian cancer, as the disease is difficult to detect in its early stages where it can most easily be treated. One approach to detecting cancer is to look for extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small proteins released from the tumor called exosomes. As these proteins are found outside the cancer cell, they can be isolated from body fluids, such as blood, urine, and saliva. However, the use of these biomarkers is hindered by the lack of reliable ones for the detection of ovarian cancer.
A research group led by Akira Yokoi (he, him) of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine and Mayu Ukai (she, her) at the Institute for Advanced Research extracted both small and medium/large EVs from high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the most common type of ovarian cancer, and analyzed them using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the proteins.
Initially their research was challenging. “The validation steps for the identified proteins were tough because we had to try a lot of antibodies before we found a good target,” said Yokoi. “As a result, it became clear that the small and medium/large EVs are loaded with clearly different molecules. Further investigation revealed that small EVs are more suitable biomarkers than the medium and large type. We identified the membrane proteins FRα, Claudin-3, and TACSTD2 in the small EVs associated with HGSC.”
Now that the group had identified the proteins, they investigated whether they could capture EVs in a way that would allow for the identification of the presence of cancer. To do this, they turned to nanowire specialist Takao Yasui of the Graduate School of Engineering at Nagoya University who combined his research with that of Dr. Inokuma at the Japan Science and Technology Agency to create polyketone chain-coated nanowires (pNWs). This technology was ideal for separating exosomes from blood samples.
“pNW creation was tough,” Yokoi said. “We must have tried 3-4 different coatings on the nanowires. Although polyketones are a completely new material to use to coat this type of nanowire, in the end, they were such a good fit.”
“Our findings showed that each of the three identified proteins is useful as a biomarker for HGSCs,” said Yokoi. “The results of this research suggest that these diagnostic biomarkers can be used as predictive markers for specific therapies. Our results allow doctors to optimize their therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer, therefore, they may be useful for realizing personalized medicine.”
END
Previously unidentified proteins suggest new way to diagnose ovarian cancer
2023-07-07
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Uncovering secrets of plant regeneration
2023-07-07
Ikoma, Japan – Plants have the unique ability to regenerate entirely from a somatic cell, i.e., an ordinary cell that does not typically participate in reproduction. This process involves the de novo (or new) formation of a shoot apical meristem (SAM) that gives rise to lateral organs, which are key for the plant’s reconstruction. At the cellular level, SAM formation is tightly regulated by either positive or negative regulators (genes/protein molecules) that may induce or restrict shoot regeneration, respectively. But which molecules are involved? Are there other regulatory layers that are yet to be uncovered?
To seek answers to the above questions, a research group led by Nara ...
CT with CTA versus MRI in patients with dizziness
2023-07-07
Leesburg, VA, July 7, 2023—According to an accepted manuscript published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) after CT with CTA alone could have benefitted from an alternative or additional MRI evaluation, including using a specialized abbreviated protocol for the modality.
Compared with those patients discharged after CT with CTA only, “the use of MRI in select patients presenting to the ED with dizziness was associated with greater frequency of critical neuroimaging results, greater use of echocardiography, ...
Researchers uncover how a genetic mutation can cause individuals with normal cholesterol levels to develop coronary artery disease at a young age
2023-07-07
A novel molecular pathway to explain how a mutation in the gene ACTA2 can cause individuals in their 30s – with normal cholesterol levels and no other risk factors — to develop coronary artery disease has been identified, according to researchers with UTHealth Houston.
The study was published in the European Heart Journal.
“The gene ACTA2 codes a specific protein that has nothing to do with cholesterol,” said Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and professor and director of the Division of Medical Genetics at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth ...
Pain risk varies significantly across states
2023-07-07
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The prevalence of moderate or severe joint pain due to arthritis varies strikingly across American states, ranging from 6.9% of the population in Minnesota to 23.1% in West Virginia, according to a new study led by a University at Buffalo researcher.
The paper published in the journal PAIN is providing new insights − through its novel combination of individual- and macro-level measures − into geographic differences in pain and their causes.
“The risk of joint pain is over three times higher in some states compared to others, with states in the South, ...
The American Society for Nutrition appoints Steven A. Abrams, MD as Next Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Nutrition
2023-07-07
Rockville, MD (July 7, 2023) – Steven A. Abrams, MD, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School has been named the next Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Nutrition. Dr. Abrams is a globally recognized leader in pediatric nutrition whose scientific contributions have helped establish the evidence base on nutrient requirements in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
Advances in Nutrition is the American Society for Nutrition’s journal that publishes reviews spanning basic, translational, ...
New study suggests blood plasma proteins hold answers to better understanding long COVID
2023-07-07
LONDON, ON – Recently published in The Journal of Translational Medicine, a team at Lawson Health Research Institute has discovered unique patterns of blood plasma proteins in patients with long COVID that could reveal potential drug targets to improve patient outcomes.
Currently, 10-20 per cent of people with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be diagnosed with long COVID.
“Those patients experience a wide variety of symptoms, which may include fatigue, brain fog and difficulty breathing,” says Dr. Douglas Fraser, Lawson Scientist ...
Ticks may be able to spread chronic wasting disease between Wisconsin deer
2023-07-07
Madison — A new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison finds that ticks can harbor transmissible amounts of the protein particle that causes Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), implicating the parasites as possible agents in the disease’s spread between deer in Wisconsin. Her findings were published in the journal Nature.
CWD is caused by a pathogenic agent called a prion, which can pass from deer-to-deer through contact with things like prion-contaminated soil and infected ...
Doom-and-gloom climate news may scare but also encourage audiences
2023-07-07
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A team of Penn State researchers investigated how seeing frightening news about climate change day after day may shape the way people feel about the phenomenon and how willing they are to take action to address it.
Christofer Skurka, Jessica Myrick and graduate student Yin Yang found that seeing bad news about climate change can make people more afraid over time, but it also may encourage audiences to think about what society can do to address the problem. They published the results of two separate studies in an article titled “Fanning the flames or burning out? Testing competing hypotheses ...
Name of Portuguese astrophysicist shines in the night sky
2023-07-07
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named an asteroid after Pedro Machado, astrophysicist at Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA), at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Along with the nomination of Pedro Machado, there were over a hundred other nominations of asteroids and other small bodies.
It is almost three kilometers in diameter and takes four and a half years to complete its orbit around the sun. We’re talking about 2001 QL160, or rather the asteroid 32599 Pedromachado. Pedro Machado has been honored by the Work group for the Nomenclature of Small Bodies (WGSBN 2) of the International Astronomical ...
Charles 'Chipper' Griffith named dean of UK College of Medicine
2023-07-07
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 6, 2023) — Charles “Chipper” Griffith III, M.D., has been named dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Pending approval from the Board of Trustees, Griffith will begin his appointment July 15, 2023. He has served as acting dean of the college since July 2021.
Through the years, he has played an instrumental role in the health and well-being of Kentuckians, and in the academic success of thousands of students.
“Dr. Griffith understands Kentucky needs the UK College of Medicine,” said Provost Robert ...