The enzyme in question is FBP1 , a key element in the regulation of metabolism and, according to the latest study carried out by the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania (USA), it stops the progression of the most common type of kidney cancer, that is , clear cell renal cell carcinoma or ccRCC .
The study, which has been published in the journal Nature , explains that the discovery of the enzyme occurred when experts analyzed small molecules called 'metabolites', which the body uses to produce energy in normal cells and cancer cells in human kidney tissue. The enzyme FBP1 binds to a transcription factor in the center of certain kidney cells and restricts energy production in the cell body, thus stopping its progress .
This type of cancer is characterized by high glycogen, as well as fat deposits in the cells of the kidney of the patient. Excess lipids cause large clear droplets that accumulate and are what give the name to this increasingly widespread kidney cancer .
"This study represents the first step in a line of research that aims to achieve a personalized approach for people with mutations related to clear cell renal cell carcinoma," says Celeste Simon, leader of the study.
