Taking the tension out of cancer

Cancer cells often have several polar bodies that must be clustered at two poles for proper division. According to the findings of Helmholtz researchers led by Professor Alwin Krämer at the DKFZ, this clustering only works if the protein fibres are tense. By knocking out individual genes, the researchers discovered that an entire range of proteins is responsible for this tension. “When we silence the genes, the fibres lose their tension and the cell forms a multipolar spindle and dies,” says Krämer. According to the scientist, this mechanism is a possible starting point in the search for new therapeutic agents for cancer. This type of agent would kill only the tumour cells, since they are the only cells that form several polar bodies.

Andreas Fischer