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."