Magdeburg research team discovers important switch for cell survival
Novel approach to the dysregulation of programmed cell death in cancer cells discovered
The Translational Inflammation Research (TEF) working group headed by Prof. Dr. Inna Lavrik from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg has identified a promising starting point for the development of more targeted cancer therapies. In a recent study published in the journal Oncogene, the researchers uncovered a specific protein modification in the protein procaspase-8, which is of great importance in the process of programmed cell death. This process is essential for eliminating useless, old and dangerous cells, but is often disrupted in cancer. The discovered protein modification, or rather its mutations, could be a promising approach for the identification of targeted drugs in cancer therapy.
The research team led by first author Fabian Wohlfromm focused on the protein procaspase-8, a central regulator of programmed cell death. Through their work, they were able to prove that procaspase-8 is subject to methylation, i.e. a chemical change in the structure of the protein in which methyl groups are attached to residues of the amino acid arginine.This discovery is of enormous importance as it shows that this methylation can not only modulate the biological activity of proteins, but is also involved in signaling pathways of programmed cell death.
Photo (from left): M. Sc. Fabian Wohlfromm; M. Sc. Corinna König (front); Prof. Dr. Inna Lavrik, Head of the Translational Inflammation Research Group at the University of Magdeburg.Photographer: private
Professor Lavrik emphasizes: "Our study provides the first evidence that arginine methylation is involved in the regulation of programmed cell death.This opens up completely new possibilities for the development of targeted therapies that can specifically target and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells."
According to Lavrik, DNA methylation already plays an important role in medical research. Initial studies suggest that inhibiting protein methylation, especially in cancer, could offer promising treatment approaches. The new findings of her research group show that the methylation of proteins, especially those such as procaspase-8, which are relevant for programmed cell death, is crucial for understanding diseases and developing new therapies.
The research of the TEF working group is carried out within the framework of the Dynamic Systems Research Center (CDS) and the Magdeburg Center of Systems Biology (MACS), in which scientists from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg jointly investigate complex dynamic systems.This interdisciplinary collaboration makes it possible to better understand complex biological processes such as programmed cell death and to develop new therapeutic approaches.
Original publication
Arginin methylation of caspase-8 controls life/death decisions in extrinsic apoptotic networks, in: Oncogene, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-024-03049-6
Scientific contact
Prof. Dr. Inna Lavrik, Head of the Translational Inflammation Research Group, Dynamic Systems Research Center (CDS), Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Tel.: +49 391 67-54767,