Babraham (Cambridge) [UK], July 25 (ANI): The protein receptor Tyrosine phosphatases are proteins that are found in cell membranes. Although the details of their exact mechanism of action remain unknown, they are known to be tumour suppressors and regulators of cell-cell interactions. A member of this family, PTPRK, has been linked to multiple cancer forms, most notably colorectal cancer, and human colorectal tumours have PTPRK-inactivating mutations and genetic events.
Coeliac disease and PTPRK have also been connected genetically. The Babraham Institute’s Sharpe lab studied the function and signalling pathways of PTPRK in human and mouse colorectal cancer cells as well as in cell adhesion, growth factor signalling, and tumour suppression. The Journal of Cell Science published their findings, which have implications for our knowledge of the cellular settings that suppress the growth of tumours and the interactions between cells that influence wound healing and possibly cancer spread.
Dr Katie Young, lead author on the paper who undertook this research as a PhD student in the Sharpe lab, said: “Through this work we aimed to investigate the role of PTPRK in the colon, working together several observations in the field and connecting these back to the complex signalling mechanisms behind them. It’s vital that we know more about how receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases sense and transmit signals to ensure the healthy growth of our cells, as well as how errors in these me.