Our biological “tick-tock” regulates daily cycles in virtually every aspect of our human physiology and that of many animals as well. Now, a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz (USA) has discovered that a protein associated with cancer cells, specifically the PASD1 protein , is capable of suppressing the biological clock that drives circadian rhythms of cells throughout the body. The finding has been published in the journal Molecular Cell.
Previous research had already put on the table that the alteration of our biological clock is associated with health problems such as diabetes or even cancer or heart disease.
“The clock does not always break in cancer cells, but studies have shown that disrupting circadian rhythms in mice causes faster-growing tumors , and one of the things the clock does is set restrictions when cells move. they can divide, ”explains Carrie Partch, study leader.
In their work, the researchers focused on the protein called PASD1 (present in melanoma, lung cancer or breast cancer) and that apart from its key role in sperm, it is also found in some cancer cells. Considering PASD1 as a cancer marker , “understanding how PASD1 is regulating the circadian clock could open the door to the development of new therapies. Potentially we could find ways to interrupt it in those types of cancer in which it is expressed, ”says Partch.
Why does this protein have the ability to silence the biological clock? Scientists discovered that the germ line is the only tissue in the human body that does not have circadian cycles , hence its ability to interact with the molecular machinery of our biological clock made up of four main genes. This protein is capable, therefore, of turning off that feedback that drives 24-hour cycles .
“By understanding what makes the clock pulse and how it is regulated, we may be able to identify the points where we can intervene pharmacologically to treat disorders in which the clock is interrupted,” concludes Partch.
