Prospects for early detection of cancer by bioelectric signals

(Biologists at the University of Tufts University of Arts and Sciences have discovered a bioelectric signal that can identify cells likely to grow into tumors.

The researchers also found that they could lower the cancer's rate of cancer by manipulating the membrane's electrical charge.

Brook Chernet, PhD student and the first author of a recently published research paper is a co-author with Dr. Michael Levin of the Center for Regenerative Biology and Development (Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology). ) said: "The new news is that we have established a bioelectric facility to detect cancer early."

Levin notes: "We have shown that electrical phenomena tell cells what to do. Voltage changes are not merely a sign of cancer. They control and spend. Whether cancer therapy occurs or not '.

Bioelectric signals are the basis for a set of important control mechanisms that regulate how cells grow and multiply. Chernet and Levin investigated the bioelectric properties of cells that developed into frog embryos Xenopus laevis.

In previous research, scientists at Tufts University have shown that controlling membrane voltage can affect or regulate cell behavior such as cell development, migration, and body formatting, and is used to create the regeneration or repair of all agencies and subsections.

In this study, the researchers hypothesize that cancer may occur when the bioelectric signal network is disturbed and cells stop participating in the imaging signals that lead to development. normal of them.

The researchers induced tumor growth in frog embryos by injecting samples with well-defined human RNA (RNA) mRNA as the oncogene (oncogene) Gli1, KrasG12D, and Xrel3 genes. Frog embryos have developed tumor growths that these tumor growths are associated with human cancers such as melanoma, leukemia, lung cancer, and rhabdomyosarcoma (a type of tissue cancer Soft often affects children).

When the researchers analyzed cancer cells using a voltage-sensitive dye and fluorescence microscope, they made an interesting discovery."Tumor sites have a voltage relationship with anomalous depolarization membrane with surrounding tissue , " Chernet said. "They can be recognized by this special bioelectric signal."

Tufts University biologists may also show that changing the bioelectric code to polarize tumor cells inhibits abnormal cell growth.

"We hypothesized that the appearance of gene-induced tumors oncogene could be inhibited by changing the membrane voltage , " Levin said, "and we were right."

To counteract tumors that cause depolarization, they inject cells with mRNA encoding carefully selected ion channels (proteins that control the movement of ions across the cell membrane).

Using embryos injected with tumor-causing genes, such as Xrel3, the researchers introduced one of the two ion channels (GlyR-F99A channel glycine gated chloride or Kir4.1 potassium channel) known for electrolysis. polar membrane membrane electrode polarization in frog embryos.

In both cases, the incidence of subsequent tumors was significantly lower than that in embryos that received tumor-causing genes but were not treated with hyperpolarism.

Experiments to identify cell mechanisms that allow polarization to prevent tumor formation suggest that butyrate transport is responsible. Butyrate is known as a tumor inhibitor.

The research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Medicine (paragraphs AR061988, AR055993) and Harold G. and Leila Y. Mathers Charities.