Secreted protein to suppress colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) influences individual health worldwide with high mortality. It is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death. Therefore, identifying new critical genes in the pathogenesis of CRC for developing effective treatments is of vital importance. The study “VSTM2A suppresses colorectal cancer and antagonizes Wnt signaling receptor LRP6” has analyzed 4642 predicted secreted proteins and found that V-set and transmembrane domain containing 2A (VSTM2A) is a critical tutor suppressor in CRC. VSTM2A may serve as a new prognostic marker for CRC patients as it is a novel antagonist of Wnt signaling by direct binding to Wnt co-receptor LDL receptor related protein 6 (LRP6), suppressing LRP6 activity and inducing its endocytosis and degradation. (Theranostics. 2019 Aug 21;9(22):6517-6531. doi: 10.7150/thno.34989. eCollection 2019)

Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research is welcome to contact our key investigator Prof Jun Yu in the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, CUHK. Prof Yu’s research interests are molecular pathogenesis and biomarkers of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (gastric, colon and liver).

 
Read full article: https://www.thno.org/v09p6517.htm

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