Interesting short article in Science News Letter, describing some recent work of Michael Klagsbrun, a long-time collaborator (they have co-authored several-to-many peer-reviewed journal articles) of Folkmann. I have not researched whether Klagsbrun is a current associate of Folkmann, or involved in any way with ENMD, but he is in Boston. Paraphrase follows:
Seems that as blood vessels grow, they "sport a surface protein also displayed by developing brain cells." This protein, "neuropilin-1," a substance already known to guide the interconnection process for embryonic brain cells, is also exhibited by cancer cells.
Neuropilin-1 was discovered while researchers were looking for cell surface proteins that "respond to [VEGF], a protein that aids the formation of blood vessels." Many tumors generate VEGF to help establish a blood supply needed for growth.
The question that arises is, whether VEGF uses neuropilin-1 to guide the direction of growth of new blood vessels. In the brain, the protein diverts the further growth of axons when the axon encounters proteins ("collapsins" or "semaphorins") serving as "axonal stop signs."
Klagsbrun sez: "We're wondering if there are negative cues [for blood vessel growth] and if collapsin-semaphorin could be one of them." Also to be investigated is why tumors secrete both VEGF and its binding partner, neurophilin-1. The speculation is that compounds that interfere with their joining may help fight cancer. |
