Scientists at the Scientific and Technological Research Institute of San Luis Potosi (in Spanish: Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica) detected grater levels of three proteins (SEL1L, Notch3 and SOCS3) in patients diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The study included more than 300 samples of patients from the Central Hospital ‘Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto’ and hospitals belonging to the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in San Luis Potosi, said researcher Martha Leticia Santos Martinez.
However, she said that it would be necessary to extend the study at a national level, in order to achieve a sufficient statistical value to decide whether these molecules could not only be considered as molecular markers for diagnosis, but also as therapeutic targets.
Santos Martinez said the investigation aims to find molecular markers of the Notch signaling pathway for diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. Notch signaling pathway plays a key role in the different stages of cell development, such as proliferation, growth, differentiation and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
Previous studies show that Notch signaling may function as both an oncogene and tumor suppressor depending on its expression levels and cellular the cellular context, inhibiting or inducing apoptosis in cancer cells.
Santos Martinez said that Notch signaling has been reported to be involved in a variety of human diseases, of which cancer is the most common; particularly in leukemia, neuroblastoma, cervix, breast, skin and lung, as well as in mucoepidermoid tumors and renal carcinomas, she said.
The group of researchers will continue to studying the activation and modulation of SEL1L, Notch3 and SOCS3 molecules in order to describe its effect on cell lines of cervical cancer, using high-performance technologies such as mass spectrometry.
Source: Notimex
