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The protein JUN plays a key role in restraining the cancer growth-promoting proteins YAP and TAZ, thereby helping to prevent uncontrolled cancer growth. The findings have now been published in the EMBO Journal under the title "A non-canonical repressor function of JUN restrains the activity of YAP and the growth of liver cancer". The study was led by Dr. Björn von Eyss, who heads the research group "Transcriptional Control of Tissue Homeostasis" at the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena.
Jena. Good news in the fight against liver cancer: a team of scientists led by Dr. Björn von Eyss has discovered an additional control mechanism that prevents the growth of liver cancer. In a study funded by the Wilhelm Sander Foundation, the research team from the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena demonstrated that the protein JUN plays a decisive role in the suppression of YAP and TAZ. Both are proteins that can strongly contribute to tumor formation when dysregulated. The scientists discovered these new findings incidentially while analyzing data from over 8,000 patients and became aware of abnormalities in liver cancer patients. "This discovery opens up new perspectives in cancer research and could lead to innovative treatment strategies," says Dr. Björn von Eyss. "This is because targeted interventions in the function of JUN could potentially control or even prevent the growth of liver cancer."
Under normal circumstances, the activity of YAP and TAZ is controlled by the so-called Hippo signaling pathway. However, the researchers were able to demonstrate that JUN also directly inhibits the activity of these cancer growth-promoting proteins. They describe this as an additional control mechanism that goes beyond the Hippo signaling pathway. Furthermore, particularly in liver cancer, it was shown that misregulation of JUN can lead to uncontrolled activation of YAP and TAZ, thereby promoting tumor growth.
JUN thus fulfills two essential functions: It is involved in both inflammatory and regenerative processes in the cells. This dual function could significantly influence how cancer and other diseases develop and how they can be treated in the future. The question of which factors determine whether JUN regulates inflammatory or regenerative processes is still unanswered.
Additional information:
The Wilhelm Sander Foundation is a non-profit foundation in Germany that specializes in promoting medical research, particularly in the field of cancer research. A particular focus of the Sander Foundation is to support both basic research and applied clinical research, aiming to develop new therapies and diagnostic methods that directly benefit patients.
The Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) – upon its inauguration in 2004 – was the first German research organization dedicated to research on the process of aging. Around 350 employees from around 40 nations explore the molecular mechanisms underlying aging processes and age-associated diseases. For more information, please visit www.leibniz-fli.de.
The Leibniz Association connects 97 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering, and environmental sciences to economics, spatial, and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic, and ecological relevance. They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry, and the general public. Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 20,500 people, including 11,500 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2 billion euros. For more information: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/.
Yuliya Kurlishchuk, Anita Cindric Vranesic, Marco Jessen, Alexandra Kipping, Christin Ritter, KyungMok Kim, Paul Cramer, Björn von Eyss. A non-canonical repressor function of JUN restrains YAP activity and liver cancer growth. EMBO Journal, 08/2024.
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44318-024-00188-0
Björn von Eyss, Research Group Leader, Leibniz Institute on Aging Fritz-Lipmann Institute FLI, Jena
Nadine Grimm
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Björn von Eyss, Research Group Leader, Leibniz Institute on Aging Fritz-Lipmann Institute FLI, Jena
Nadine Grimm
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