MELBOURNE, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have uncovered a previously unknown gene that helps lymphoma cells resist a widely used blood cancer drug, along with several genes that accelerate lymphoma growth.
Researchers used a new CRISPR activation tool called Partita with a mouse model of aggressive lymphoma. Partita is a "library" that allows every gene in the mouse genome to be switched on individually in cellular and live models, according to a statement released Saturday by Australia's Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI).
Traditional CRISPR allows scientists to easily delete specific genes and assess their roles, while newer CRISPR activation enables specific genes to be switched on, offering insights into their roles in cancer and other genetic disorders, according to the study published in Science Advances.
Lymphoma comprises more than 80 subtypes and is the most common blood cancer in adults.
The team found that activating the gene Irx5 enabled cancer cells to survive treatment with venetoclax, a widely used blood cancer drug, by quietly boosting levels of a different survival protein.
A significant challenge in cancer care is treatment resistance. By identifying genes responsible for treatment resistance in tumors, researchers can develop new therapies to silence these genes and boost the efficacy of existing treatments.
The team also used Partita in live mice and identified Runx2, Runx3 and Csf1r as genes that accelerate the growth of MYC-driven lymphoma when activated.
"Currently, MYC-driven lymphomas are challenging to treat, and Partita helped find cancer-promoting genes that could be switched off to slow or stop tumor growth in these cancers," said study senior author John Eddie La Marca, a postdoctoral researcher at ONJCRI. ■
