Research Description

Biophysical Traits Associated with NAC-1 Throughout Abnormal Cell Division

Cancer and tumors are the result of irregular and often uncontrollable cell division. Many factors are responsible for the initiation and maintenance of this irregular division which, in many cases, results in the death of the host organism. They often result from stress to the cell and even damage to its DNA. A common technique used to study carcinoma cells is to treat an organism with a drug, such as cocaine, that can often induce DNA damage and disrupt the normal cell cycle.

Current advances in research have shown abundances in NAC-1 protein expression in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. NAC-1 is a member of the BTB/POZ protein family which is responsible for many functions, such as transcriptional regulation. A zinc finger motif is a common structure in this domain. This motif has a conformation similar to a finger that coordinates a zinc ion and allows for interaction with DNA.

Another member of this family, BCL-6, is common in B-cell lymphoma. It has been observed that mutations in BCL-6 result in its activation as well as the proliferation of B-cell lymphoma. However, suppression of this activity has been achieved through the use of peptide inhibitors which target the BTB/POZ domain. In addition, interaction among individual proteins is achieved through the formation of both homodimers and heterodimers. The formation of homodimers in NAC-1 forms an essential interaction among BTB/POZ domains that promotes tumor growth.

NAC-1 proteins seem to aggregate in the nucleus of carcinoma cells, forming structures appropriately coined a “nuclear body”. This phenomenon is also seen in PML protein expression in other cancerous cells. These bodies have been found to lack free diffusion and have a directed movement throughout the nucleus. Of particular interest are the dynamics of these nuclear bodies throughout the cell cycle, focusing on changes in both size and morphology. Recent studies of NAC-1 show remarkable similarities to this aggregation and it is believed that they may also have dynamic qualities throughout the cell cycle.

Through the use of techniques such as FRAP and particle tracking, the biophysical qualities of the NAC-1 nuclear bodies hope to be explored. Due to the prevailing risks and deaths associated with cancer, it is urgent that all possible factors promoting this irregular cell division be explored. It is hoped that the techniques used to explore PML bodies will be adapted and improved upon while observing NAC-1. One goal focuses on tracking the NAC-1 bodies with GFP tagging throughout an entire cell cycle, at the very least. These results will be analyzed further by studying the kinetics of the nuclear bodies when the cell is inhibited from progressing throughout the cell cycle. It is equally important to observe possible co-localization with DNA prior to cell division, as this may be a signal for the cells to proliferate. Macroscopically, these biophysical traits can be further applied to determining alternative and more effective cancer treatments.