When a colon-cancer patient receives treatment, e.g. chemotherapy, most of the cancer cells die off. But the genetic mutations that caused the cancer in the first place can survive in a specific group of cells of the colon. These are actually stem cells, meaning that they are premature cells waiting to grow into full-blown, normal cells of the colon. After cancer treatment ends, the surviving stem cells, still containing the cancerous mutations, can reappear and cause a relapse.

The lab of Joerg Huelsken at EPFL studied how differentiated colon cells come from stem cells in the gut. Using an array of different techniques, the team looked at cells, mouse models and samples from human patients.

Proteins and signaling pathways
The study focused on a protein called HOXA5, which belongs to a family of proteins that regulate the development of the fetus. These proteins are made during early development and work together to make sure that every tissue is correctly identified and that the fetus' body and limbs are patterned properly. In the adult body, proteins like HOXA5 regulate the body's stem cells to maintain both the identity and function of different tissues. Huelsken's team found that in the gut, HOXA5 plays a major role in restricting the number of stem cells, as well as the cells that make them.

Like all proteins, HOXA5 originates from a specific gene. The study showed that the cancerous stem cells of the colon use a biological mechanism that blocks it. This mechanism is called a "signaling pathway" because it involves a domino of molecules, each activating the next one down the line. The purpose of a signaling pathway is to transmit biological information from one part of the cell to another, e.g. from the outer membrane all the way to the nucleus. By blocking the HOXA5 gene, the cancerous stem cells of the colon can grow uncontrollably and spread, causing relapses and metastasis.

Retinoids: a way to fight back
The researchers looked for ways to reverse the blocking of HOXA5. The answer came from vitamin A. This small chemical structure is called a retinoid, and it has been known to induce differentiation of stem cells in the skin. The EPFL scientists found that retinoids can re-activate HOXA5. In mice that had colon cancer, the treatment with retinoids blocked tumor progression and normalized the tissue. By turning the gene for HOXA5 back on, this treatment eliminated cancer stem cells and prevented metastasis in the live animals. The researchers got similar results with samples from actual patients.

The new study suggests that patients that may profit from this well-tolerated treatment can be identified based on their expression pattern for the HOXA5 gene. Retinoid differentiation therapy could be significantly effective against colon cancer, not only for treatment of existing disease but also as a preventive measure in high-risk patients.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Ex-Hamas Wife Whose Father Helped Create the Terrorist Group Meets Jesus in a Miraculous Dream

Gym in Los Angeles Revokes Membership of Woman Who Opposed Man in Women's Locker Room

American Consumers Footing the Bill: Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Trump's Tariff Power

These Two Officials Would Make an Unstoppable Presidential Ticket, Trump Says

High Stakes on the High Seas as US, China Test Limits of Military Power

FAA Slashes Flights at 40 Airports as Democrat Shutdown Grounds America

NYC's First Muslim, Socialist Mayor the Top Story as Democrats Sweep the Off-Term Elections

Dems Win in VA with First Female Governor, Jones Overcomes Murder Text Scandal to Win AG

Texas Voters Approve Requiring Judges to Deny Bail for Certain Violent Felony Charges

Hamas Returns Remains of Last American Hostage; US Proposes 'Stabilization Force' for Post-War Gaza

Parent Groups Demand 50-State Audit to Eliminate DEI in Schools [WATCH]

UPS Plane Crashes and Explodes at a Kentucky Airport, Leaving at Least 9 Dead and Others Missing

Former VP Dick Cheney Dead at 84

Make-or-Break Decision Coming: President Trump's Tariffs on Trial

'Revival on Halloween Night': Hundreds Worship Jesus as Baptisms Unfold in Streets of Baton Rouge

Canadian MP: Reciting 'Hateful' Bible Verses About Homosexuality In Public Should Be Illegal

Canada's Supreme Court Rules 1-Year Minimum Jail Sentence for Child Porn Possession 'Unconstitutional'

The New York Times Exposed a Trafficking Crisis. But Refuses to Name the Men Responsible

Google Caught Hiding Elon Musk's New Grokipedia, Instead Promotes Leftist Wikipedia

How Trump Killed a UN 'Global Green Tax' that Would Have 'Devastated' at the 11th Hour: Breitbart Exclusive