A research study, published online in eLife, has provided new insight into the mechanisms behind the development of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), which could have implications for how ccRCC is treated.

The researchers have discovered that changes or mutations in tumour suppressor genes (VHL, PBRM1, KDM5C, SETD2 and BAP1) responsible for slowing down cell division, repairing DNA, and telling cells when to die can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and the development of cancer. The researchers have identified a common tumour suppressor pathway, called interferon stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), which acts as a brake for tumour growth. This brake can be disabled by the loss of any of the tumour suppressors.

“It is surprising to see that so many major tumour suppressor genes in ccRCC share the same target in ISGF3,” said the researchers at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, USA. “As many critical cancer genes in kidney cancer converge on ISGF3, it might play significant roles in drug development, patient responses to treatments, and survival.”

Read the full article in EurekAlert! here