Australian National University Discovery of 'Gene Switch' Proteins May Pave Way for Novel Breast Cancer Therapeutics

Recently, the Australian National University announced that a new discovery by its researchers regarding a group of proteins that help switch on or off the expression of certain genes during hematopoiesis may contribute to the development of novel, more effective breast cancer drugs.

The female breast is composed of skin, fibrous tissue, mammary glands, and adipose tissue. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor arising from the glandular epithelial tissue of the breast. Among patients with breast cancer, approximately 99% are female and 1% are male. Breast cancer has become a major disease posing a serious threat to women's health.

Breast cancer is associated with estrogen levels in the human body, as well as significantly linked to patients’ genetic makeup and lifestyle habits. At the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, U.S. researchers stated that the number of breast cancer cases in the United States would continue to rise over the next 15 years, with a projected increase of up to 50% by 2030. In China, the incidence rate of breast cancer in urban areas is approximately 34.3 per 100,000 people, roughly twice that of rural areas. First-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are particularly hard-hit by breast cancer.

Currently, treatment modalities for breast cancer include surgical resection, radiotherapy as an adjuvant to surgery, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. A recent novel finding published by the Australian National University falls within the category of targeted therapy among these treatment approaches.

It is reported that researchers have elucidated the mechanism of action of a group of specialized proteins known as Chromodomain Helicase DNA-binding (CHD) proteins. These proteins constitute the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex, which can activate or suppress the expression of specific genes during the replication of blood cells, stem cells, and other cell types. One of these proteins, CHD4, is associated with breast cancer; however, existing breast cancer therapies do not specifically target this protein.

Dr. Daniel Ryan of the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University stated that while some currently used breast cancer therapies are effective, their mechanisms remain unclear. His research has elucidated the mechanism of action of CHD4, paving the way for the future development of superdrugs specifically targeting this protein for breast cancer treatment. More precise targeted therapy will reduce drug toxicity and lower the risk of drug resistance.

Dr. Ryan stated that researchers still need to break down this enzyme to explore how different proteins interact with one another and to understand how complex molecular structures function. It is reported that these research findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.