Known for years, through several epidemiological studies, diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or schizophrenia protect against some cancers. What is not an evidence available was the molecular details that explained this protective effect; ie, "which genes might be behind this behavior" as he explained the researcher at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Alfonso Valencia, Deputy director of the Centre for Basic Research.
A striking example is Alzheimer's disease, which can reduce up to 50% the risk of cancer. Several proposals have tried to explain this association between a priori very different diseases, from pharmacological, genetic to environmental, but the available results were not strong enough to confirm these models.
Yesterday, Valencia presented, in the journal “PLOS Genetics” the first demonstration on the possible molecular basis of this relationship between cancer and diseases of the brain and central nervous system, as reported by the CNIO in a statement. Specifically, the study identifies nearly a hundred genes as possibly responsible for this association.
"We had previously reported that some diseases of the brain and nervous system, especially those with a neurodegenerative component, are associated with a lower risk of cancer. We call this epidemiological evidence ´reverse comorbidity´”, said Valencia.
To delve into this paradoxical relationship, the study's authors crossed by bioinformatic analysis of gene expression data from nearly 1,700 individuals from more than 30 studies on diseases of the central nervous system (Alzheimer, Parkinson and schizophrenia) and three types of cancer (cancer colon, lung and prostate).
The results show that nearly a hundred genes could be behind this association between diseases: 74 genes showed less activity simultaneously in diseases of the central nervous system and increased activity in cancer.
By contrast, 19 genes had simultaneously increased activity in central nervous system diseases and cancer reduced activity. "These genes, that are activated in reverse, which could explain the lower risk of patients with diseases of the central nervous system of developing cancer as a second disease", the authors say.
Predoctoral researchers from Valencia´s Lab, César Boullosa and Kristina Ibáñez, have underlined: "Up to 90% of all biological processes, that occur increased in cancer, are repressed in diseases of the nervous system analyzed".
It is the first time, that a molecular link between these diseases is established. This figure shows how the "global regulation of cell activity could exert a protective effect in reverse disease comorbidity", the article explains.
"At the beginning of the project we did not have much faith in order to find statistically significant results, so it was a great surprise to see that there is such a clear genetic correlation between the two types of diseases", confesses Valencia, explaining that it is "the first time that a molecular link between these diseases is stablished".
Among the genes that appear in the study is PIN1, formerly associated with Alzheimer's disease and cancer, as well as genes involved in the signaling pathways of p53 and Wnt. Related genes also appear as important to life as metabolism or cell communication with the external environment biological processes.
The researchers propose that this genetic association between diseases could open the door to the use of anticancer drugs to treat some diseases of the nervous system and inside out.
An example of this practice is the bexarotene, an antineoplastic agent that has shown beneficial effects in the treatment of Alzheimer's in mice.
The work represents an example of the new possibilities that genomics and bioinformatics can offer an integrated approach to complex diseases such as cancer and disorders of the nervous system.
The study had the collaboration of the psychiatrist Rafael Tabarés-Seisdedos, from the University of Valencia and the Center for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), and the Computational Biologist, Anaïs Baudot, from the CNRS in Marseille, France. It has been funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the La Caixa Foundation.
Well, I think that it is a very interesting study, one more time made in Spain. And I hope this study may be good for many people, all over the world.
Till next time, kind regards,
Luis.
Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.
Please click down here:
