Singapore scientists uncover key protein for cancer cell apoptosis

Researchers from A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore have become the first to discover and characterize a human  protein called Bax-beta, which can potentially cause the death of cancer  cells and lead to new approaches in cancer treatment. The finding is  published in the January 16 report of the journal, Molecular Cell.

Detection of Bax-beta has eluded scientists until now. Victor Yu, the  principal investigator of the research team at IMCB, said: "our research  findings reveal that Bax-beta protein levels are normally kept at  essentially undetectable levels in healthy cells by the protein  degradation machine in cells known as the 'proteasomes'. The proteasomes  are there to keep the lethal Bax-beta in check. This is exciting - if  the proteasome-mediated degradation of Bax-beta could be inhibited  specifically in cancer cells, it could cause the harmful cancer cells to  go through apoptosis."

Until the discovery of Bax-beta by Dr Yu's team, only one single protein  called Bax-alpha has ever been extensively studied in cells. The  researchers also found that Bax-beta is able to associate with, and  promote, Bax-alpha activation, and that Bax-beta, in its native form, is  100 times more potent than its sibling Bax-alpha in triggering a key  step in apoptosis. The future development of novel compounds that can  selectively elevate levels of Bax-beta or stimulate its interaction with  Bax-alpha could also lead to new drug approaches to cancer treatment, as  these compounds are likely to enhance the apoptotic signals triggered by  many conventional cancer drugs, which frequently cause toxic side  effects in patients when higher doses are needed.