They hope the findings might offer new treatment options for aggressive prostate cancer. theSun theSundaily cancer health prostate science
: Scientists have identified how a specific substance plays a key role in helping prostate cancer to spread and become harder to treat, reported German news agency .A team at Nottingham Trent University found that “transglutaminase 2” , which is abundant in many of the body’s cells, is responsible for driving a process which leads to the progression and spreading of the disease.
The new study found that a mutant form of TG2 is overproduced in prostate cancer and remains trapped inside the nucleus of cells. It also increases expression of the protein mucin-1, which is known to be responsible for the growth and spreading of cancer. Mucin-1 forms a mucous barrier on cell surfaces which protects cancer cells, researchers found.Based on the findings, the team proposes that controlling the activity of TG2 and mucin-1 may offer a new therapeutic option for aggressive prostate cancer.