Baylor College Of MedicineThis news provides information about certain constituents aiding the growth of lung cancer. The communication of enzymes, particularly the tyrosine kinases known as Src and inducible nitric oxide synthase seem to play a significant function in the development of non-small cell lung cancers. At least this is what a research from Baylor College of medicine claims. This type of cancer is alleged to be the most common kind of cancer in the US.

Scientists are acquainted with the fact that non-small cell lung cancer tissues appear to have elevated levels of Src. They also discovered that the gene for Src in the cell turns out to be triggered when it is linked with epidermal growth factor receptor.

The activated Src then phosphorylates or generates by including a phosphate molecule to other proteins that take place further along in the tumor procedure. One of these is inducible nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that apparently induces generation of nitric oxide, a cellular signaling molecule significant in several systems, counting the nervous, immune and skeletal systems.

Dr. Tony Eissa, professor of medicine, pulmonary, at BCM mentioned that treatment with drugs that obstruct that receptor, like erlotinib may swiftly reduce the size of tumors, but frequently only for the moment.

He commented, “This response is often followed by disease recurrence because the epidermal growth factor receptors mutate and become resistant to the drug. Identifying more factors that prompt tumor growth will enhance treatment.”

Eissa added, “These findings imply that phosphorylation (or activation) of inducible nitric oxide synthase by Src could account for some of the Src-related roles in cancer. Our future goals are to elucidate how Src phosphorylates (or activates) inducible nitric oxide synthase and how this affects the growth of lung cancer.”

Especially, patients who seem to have turned resistant to erlotinib could be aided by dasatinib, a drug that is an antibody that appears to obstruct the action of Src. Moreover, discovering a drug that impedes the movement of inducible nitric oxide synthase might also offer advantage to patients with this disease.

The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.