Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
    • Podcast
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Target Identified to Inhibit Prostate Cancer Cells
Disease Discoveries

Target Identified to Inhibit Prostate Cancer Cells

By Nora DunneJul 29, 2014
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
An immunofluorescence image shows PIM1 (green) and PLK1 (red) overlapping in a T-cell.

Scientists have identified a specific target to stop cancer cells that express PIM1, a protein that promotes the development of many types of cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas and prostate cancers.

The study found that prostate cancer cells producing too much PIM1 are particularly sensitive to the inhibition of a protein called polo-like kinase (PLK1). PIM1 increases cell survival, cell proliferation and the formation of tumors.

“When we inhibit PLK1, the PIM1 tumor cells die preferentially,” said Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD, professor in Urology. “We wanted to inhibit the machinery that allows the cancer cells to divide.”

The findings were recently published and featured on the cover in Clinical Cancer Research.

To pinpoint proteins whose depletion would be detrimental to PIM1-expressing tumors, study corresponding author Meejeon Roh, PhD, research assistant professor in Radiation Oncology, systematically searched more than 600 proteins that are potential drug targets. She used a cellular process called RNA interference screening, which silences specific gene expression, to see which genes need to be expressed to make PIM1 prostate cells viable.

“We didn’t expect to find PLK1,” said Roh. “It is already known as a drug target for cancer therapy.”

PLK1 plays an important role in the normal cell cycle helping to regulate mitosis, but it’s overexpressed in many types of tumors. Existing drugs aimed at PLK1 have toxic side effects: they can also damage normal cells in cancer patients.

Working with Sarki Abdulkadir, MD, PhD (left), Meejeon Roh, PhD (right), searched more than 600 proteins to find one whose depletion would be detrimental to PIM1-expressing tumors. 

 

“What our study suggests is that if we can identify cancer patients who have high PIM1, we can give them lower levels of this drug,” said Dr. Abdulkadir. “The lower levels would be enough to kill the cancer cells, but not the patients’ normal cells. That’s really the bottom line.”

The scientists tested the discovery in vitro and in vivo. They inhibited PLK1 using both genetic means and using the drug, and found the same results.

Roh has been studying PIM1 since 2001, under the mentorship of Dr. Abdulkadir and David Gius, MD, PhD, and she’s not done yet.

“In the future, we would like to pursue PLK1 and PIM1 on a more molecular level to understand more detail,” said Roh, who is a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University along with Drs. Abdulkadir and Gius.

This study was supported by Department of Defense grant W81XWH-10-1-0246 and National Cancer Institute grant CA123484.

Cancer Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Hospitals Bound to Patient Safety Rules that Aren’t all Backed by Evidence

Jun 24, 2022

Identifying Protein Interactions that Promote Cancer Growth

Jun 24, 2022

Combination Treatment May Improve Quality of Life in Kidney Cancer

Jun 23, 2022

Calcium Channel Blockers May Improve Chemotherapy Response

Jun 21, 2022

Expanded Role for Calcium Channels in T-Cells

Jun 17, 2022
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0070
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0066
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0054
Northwestern University 2022. Photo by Jim Prisching
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0077
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0063
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0111
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0083
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0018
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0023
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0072 (2)
20220607_Feinberg Campus_0120

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2022 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.