A toxin secreted by Vibrio vulnificus, a Gram-negative bacterium associated with sepsis, may prevent the growth of cancerous tumors, according to a new study by scientists at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.
Karla Satchell, PhD, Northwestern professor in microbiology-immunology, and her team used cell biological, genetic and biochemical techniques to demonstrate how a specific part of the toxin — called DUF5Vv — targets and cuts the protein Ras.
"Ras is important for cell proliferation in cancer, so the toxin could potentially be developed as a treatment for different types of tumors," said Dr. Satchell. "It has been known that Ras has a role in cancer development and targeting Ras has been one of the hardest challenges of cancer research and drug discovery."
In addition to showing how DUF5Vv targets and cuts Ras, Dr. Satchell and her team revealed the ability of DUF5Vv to slice both normal and mutant forms of Ras commonly found in cancers, rather than just modify it.
The scientists plan to continue to study the mechanisms and biochemistry of the Vibrio vulnificus toxin associated with the Ras protein.
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