South Korean scientists said Sunday that they have discovered a cell membrane receptor that is closely linked to the development of liver cancer in humans.
The TM4SF5 belongs to the tetraspanin family of cell receptors and is found in 77.8 percent of all patients suffering from liver cancer in South Korea, the research team led by Lee Jung-won at Seoul National University said.
The medical professor at the school's Cancer Research Institute said the discovery is noteworthy because it confirms for the first time the link between the TM4SF5 and liver cancer. The findings have been published in the latest on-line issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The cell membrane has been associated with pancreatic cancer since 1998, but there has never been serious follow-up research to prove that it triggers malignant tumors.
Lee said that tests and observations showed that an overactive TM4SF5 causes abnormalities in cells and disrupts cell-cell contact. The scientists said this leads to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that can eventually lead to so-called multiplayer growth.
EMT is characterized by loss of cell adhesion and increased cell mobility, while multilayer growth in cell is one of the telltale characteristics of cancer growth.
Scientists said that confirmation of TM4SF5 triggering liver cancer can allow specific research to go forward on how to suppress the harmful receptor from becoming overly active.
Promising materials, including a substance called TSAHC have been found by other South Korean researchers that have some effect on preventing multilayer growth.
The latest discovery was made in cooperation with the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Kyungpook National University. (Yonhap)