Scientists from Cornell University found that spinal bone progenitor stem cells secrete a protein called MFGE8 that promotes cancer metastasis. This discovery may explain why tumors often spread to the spine and may also help develop new treatments for metastases that target MFGE8. The research was published in the journal Nature.
In previous studies, the team and other scientists found that different types of bones form from different stem cells. In the new study, biologists showed that vertebral bones come from special stem cells that secrete the MFGE8 protein.
They also found that this molecule promotes the spread of metastases of malignant tumors. It is known that the risk of spread of cancer cells of the spine increases. The traditional theory, dating back to the 1940s, was that this phenomenon was caused by blood flow patterns that preferentially carried metastases to the spine rather than to the long bones of the extremities. However, this idea has not been confirmed.
The team also found that removing vertebral stem cells made the bones of the spine a less attractive target for cancer metastases. Scientists have already identified human analogs of mouse vertebral stem cells and studied their properties. Researchers are currently working on methods to block the MFGE8 protein to reduce the risk of spinal metastases in cancer patients.
Previous scientists in the name Factor that increases the risk of stroke by 94%.
Source: Gazeta
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