2023 Fall/Winter Highlights of Hope

RESEARCH
Breakdown of protective
mechanisms can drive lung
cancer development
Losing a pair of “protector” proteins kickstarts changes that
transform healthy lung cells into cancerous ones, according to
research from Van Andel Institute scientists.
The findings may have implications for cancer treatment and
prevention strategies.
“Our study sheds new light on the importance of epigenetics in
cancer development,” said Dr. Gerd Pfeifer, a VAI professor and
senior study author. “In theory, it is easier to target epigenetics
than genetics in cancer treatment, which opens fresh possibilities
for new therapies.”
Cancers largely arise from errors in DNA, which scramble the
genetic instructions required for normal function. This allows
malignant cells to flourish and spread, crowding out healthy cells
and causing illness.
Since the 1980s, however, scientists have recognized the role
of another critical regulatory system in cancer development:
epigenetics.
Epigenetic mechanisms govern whether genes are “on” or “off” by
adding or removing special chemical tags. When these tags aren’t
used at the right time, they can wreak havoc and drive disease
development.
Although epigenetic mechanisms are now recognized as central
players in cancer, exactly how these processes work remains
unclear.
To find answers, Pfeifer and his team focused a pair of proteins
tasked with protecting genes from inappropriate tagging.
Using models of lung cancer, they found that the loss of each
protein on its own had minimal impact but losing them in tandem
unleashed chaos and resulted in cancer. The findings are among
the first to demonstrate a wholly epigenetic origin for cancer cells.
Going forward, Pfeifer plans to explore this process in other cancer
types. If the phenomenon occurs beyond lung cancers, it could
have broad implications for the development of new therapies.
“This discovery was a welcome surprise,” Pfeifer said. “I hope it leads
to new opportunities to more effectively prevent and treat these
devastating diseases.”
Funding Acknowledgement
Research reported in this publication was supported by Van Andel Institute and the National Cancer Institute of
the National Institutes of Health under award no. R01CA234595 (Pfeifer). The content is solely the responsibility
of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
“This discovery was a welcome
surprise. I hope it leads to new
opportunities to more effectively
prevent and treat these
devastating diseases.”
— Dr. Gerd Pfeifer
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