A study coordinated by the researcher Manel Esteller, from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), in Catalonia, has identifieda substance that inhibits cancer growth by activating the so-called “dark genome”(or non-coding DNA) and micro-RNA molecules. The work is published this week in the scientific journalProceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
Part of the genome of the cells of the human body, specifically 5% of the genetic material, encodes our proteins, such as keratin in the skin or hemoglobin in the blood. The remaining 95% is known as the “dark genome” orNon-coding DNAand its function is largely unknown.
A fraction of this DNA produces small molecules called microRNAs responsible for turning genes on or off. And in recent years it has been proven that alterations in these molecules are related to the formation of tumors. In particular, researchers have shown that the small moleculeenoxacina, used in antibacterial compounds, binds to the protein that builds micro-RNAs and stimulates their tumor growth inhibitory activity.
According to the scientist Manel Esteller “it is as if we put an engine that had just left the factory in a second-hand car”. They have verified it both in laboratory cells and in experimental animal models and now its operation in humans should be studied. This is what Esteller has said, who has stressed that the advantage of this compound is that its metabolism and safety in humans is known. Esteller added that “although the use of this molecule in cancer treatments may not be approved, the findingopens the door to the design of new drugs that target microRNAs“” We show the pharmaceutical industry a new direction in which to direct their efforts in antitumor therapy, “he concludes.
