press release - Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft

PRESS RELEASE
“Cancer Driver Gene” reduces metastasis in prostate cancer
(Vienna, 22-07-2015) A gene that is responsible for cancer growth plays a totally unexpected role
in prostate cancer. The gene Stat3 is controlled by the immune modulator interleukin 6 and
normally supports the growth of cancer cells. The international research team led by Prof. Lukas
Kenner from the Medical University of Vienna, the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, and
the Ludwig Boltzmann Institiute for Cancer Research (LBI-CR) discovered a missing link for an
essential role of Stat3 and IL-6 signalling in prostate cancer progression.
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine that controls the cell survival and tumor growth.
Hyperactive IL-6 may support cancer growth, particularly as it controls STAT3, which was
shown to have an oncogenic role in most tumours. Many therapies are therefore designed to
suppress IL-6 or STAT3.
But the situation is different in prostate cancer. Lukas Kenner's research group has shown that,
contrary to expectations; active STAT3 suppresses cell growth in prostate tumours. It activates
the gene p14ARF, which blocks cell division and thus inhibits tumour growth.
“Using knockout mice, which are preclinical model organisms, we can link IL-6/Stat3 signalling
to ARF, an important gene for cell cycle control and decisions to grow or to arrest. These
findings have consequences for prostate cancer metastasis,” explained Jan Pencik, a PhD
fellow in the lab, headed by Prof. Lukas Kenner.
For this reason, STAT3 and p14ARF are ideally suited to act as biomarkers for the prognosis of
this disease. If these two factors are missing in tissue samples, the risk is massively increased
that the tumour grows and forms metastases. According to Lukas Kenner, this is important, as
the predictive power of these proteins as biomarkers is twice as good as the previous gold
standard. As only about 10 % of patients with prostate cancer die from the disease, this can
help to prevent unnecessary therapeutic interventions with severe side effects such as
incontinence and impotence. A non-invasive nuclear medical test based on these findings might
soon be able to replace the painful removal of tissue samples to be examined.
Receptor blockers can enhance prostate cancer
The reversed role of interleukin 6 as an inhibitor of prostate cancer has an additional
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PRESS RELEASE
significance. Blockade of interleukin 6 is used to treat other diseases, such as rheumatoid
arthritis. According to Kenner, this means that therapies that block the IL-6 pathway may
enhance the growth of prostate cancer. Thus, the drug that is used to treat inflammatory
disease may exacerbate malignancies. “Applying IL-6/Stat3 blockers to clinical practice might
be dangerous for patients with cancerous lesions, further studies are mandatory to assess the
possibility of increased cancer risk right now“, says coauthor of this study, Prof Dr. Helmut
Dolznig, also from the Medical University of Vienna. The study was financed mainly by the LBICR and the FWF. These results have just been published in the distinguished scientific journal
Nature Communications.
Lukas Kenner is Head of the Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology in the Clinical Institute
for Pathology in Medical University of Vienna. He is also Deputy Director at the Ludwig
Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research.
Service: Nature Communications
STAT3 regulated ARF expression suppresses prostate cancer metastasis – Jan Pencik,
Michaela Schlederer, Wolfgang Gruber, Christine Unger, Steven M. Walker, Athena Chalaris,
Isabelle J. Marié, Melanie R. Hassler, Tahereh Javaheri, Osman Aksoy, Jaine K. Blayney,
Nicole Prutsch, Anna Skucha, Merima Herac, Oliver H. Krämer, Peter Mazal, Florian Grebien,
Gerda Egger, Valeria Poli, Wolfgang Mikulits, Robert Eferl, Harald Esterbauer, Richard
Kennedy, Falko Fend, Marcus Scharpf, Martin Braun, Sven Perner, David E. Levy, Tim
Malcolm, Suzanne D. Turner, Andrea Haitel, Martin Susani, Ali Moazzami, Stefan Rose-John,
Fritz Aberger, Olaf Merkel, Richard Moriggl, Zoran Culig, Helmut Dolznig & Lukas Kenner;
Nature Communication DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8736
Please direct enquiries to:
Mag. Johannes Angerer
Medical University of Vienna
Communication and Public Relations Manager
Tel.: 01/ 40 160 11 501
E-mail: [email protected]
Spitalgasse 23, 1090 Vienna
www.meduniwien.ac.at/pr
Dr. Susanna Kautschitsch
Veterinary University of Vienna
Public Relations and Communication
Tel.: 01/ 25077 1153
E-Mail: [email protected]
Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Wien
www.vetmeduniwien.ac.at
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The Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft
The Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) is Austria’s independent research incubator with a focus on health
sciences and operates 18 research institutes and -clusters with about 600 employees. Acting according to its motto
“Research for people”, the LBG deals with socially relevant research questions.
The Medical University of Vienna
The Medical University of Vienna (short: MedUni Vienna) is one of the most traditional medical education and
research facilities in Europe. With almost 7,500 students, it is currently the largest medical training centre in the
German-speaking countries. With its 27 university hospitals and three clinical institutes, 12 medical theory centres
and numerous highly specialized laboratories, it is also one of Europe’s leading research establishments in the
biomedical sector.
The Veterinary University of Vienna
The Veterinary University of Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) is one of the leading centres in Europe for academic
education and research in veterinary medicine. It focuses on research in animal health, food safety, animal
husbandry, animal protection and fundamental biomedical principles. The Vetmeduni Vienna has 1,300 employees
and currently 2,300 students. The campus in Vienna Floridsdorf has five university clinics and numerous research
facilities. The University also has two research institutes in Vienna Wilhelminenberg and a teaching and research
facility in Lower Austria. The University celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2015. www.vetmeduni.ac.at
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