Targeting an enzyme can help stop the growth of glioblastoma, the most dangerous type of brain tumour, researchers have found.This enzyme called PGM3 plays a vital role in the hexosamine synthesis pathway, which is involved in the processes of protein and lipid glycosylation that allow tumours to rapidly grow.
Lipid glycosylation is a process where sugar molecules attach to fats (lipids) in the body.
Researchers with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James and Richard J. Solove Research Institute believe that targeting PGM3 can reduce tumour growth and eliminate glioblastoma cells.
“This research is important because it has found a new target called PGM3. Blocking the PGM3 enzyme can break the connection between sugar and fat creation in cells, which helps stop tumours from growing,” said lead author Deliang Guo, the founding director of the Center for Cancer Metabolism, in a study published in the journal Science Advances.