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Imagine a tiny protein in our cells -- PRP4K -- that works like a security guard, helping protect us from cancer. Scientists at Dalhousie University have discovered just how important this protein is, thanks to a surprising source: a simple soil-dwelling amoeba.

In a new study published in Cell Reports, researchers found that even a slight drop in PRP4K levels can make our cells more vulnerable to cancer. That's because PRP4K plays a key role in autophagy, a process where cells clean up and recycle their damaged parts. Without enough PRP4K, this recycling system breaks down and cells begin to behave badly -- similar to how cancer cells act.

What we have learned is that PRP4K helps control how cells turn genes into proteins, a process often disrupted in cancer. When this process goes wrong, Dalhousie researchers found it can lead to treatment resistance and more aggressive forms of breast and ovarian cancer.

However, until now, scientists couldn't study what happens when PRP4K is completely missing because it's so essential in most animals and losing it kills the cell.

The Dalhousie team, led by Dr. Graham Dellaire and Dr. Sabateeshan Mathavarajah, used a unique soil amoeba, known as Dictyostelium discoideum, to create the first living cell model without PRP4K.

They discovered that when PRP4K levels drop even partially, the amoeba couldn't correctly process a gene into a key protein involved in autophagy. The same problem was later confirmed in human cervical and breast cancer cells that lacked PRP4K.

Autophagy can help keep our cells healthy, but in cancer this process can be hijacked and help tumours survive tough conditions and resist chemotherapy. This study shows PRP4K is a key regulator of autophagy, and its loss may help cancer cells thrive.

Dr. Dellaire, who has studied PRP4K for more than 25 years, is available to discuss the finding and how learning how it works could lead to new ways to treat cancers—especially breast and ovarian cancers that have partially lost this critical protein.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca