New mechanism highlights risks of circadian disruption and supports timed cancer treatment.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/497871#
NEWS RELEASE 30-APR-2019
Disrupting normal circadian rhythms promotes tumor growth and suppresses the effects of a tumor-fighting drug, according to a new study publishing April 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Yool Lee, Amita Sehgal, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania. The results provide mechanistic support for “chronotherapy,” the delivery of cancer drugs timed to the endogenous circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythms regulate many aspects of physiology from the organismic to the subcellular levels. Disruption of circadian rhythms, whether through jet travel, shift work, or sleep disturbances, is a known risk factor for several types of cancer. In animal models, hormonally induced circadian disruption promotes tumor growth, but the underlying mechanism or mechanisms have not been clear.
Read more at: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/497871#
Citation: Lee Y, Lahens NF, Zhang S, Bedont J, Field JM, Sehgal A (2019) G1/S cell cycle regulators mediate effects of circadian dysregulation on tumor growth and provide targets for timed anticancer treatment. PLoS Biol 17(4): e3000228. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000228