Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Malignant mesothelioma is an asbestos related tumor that is very difficult to detect early and treat effectively. It is estimated that less than 10% of patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, the most common type, survive beyond three years. There is little known about the critical molecular pathways involved in mesothelioma cell growth and proliferation. Molecular studies are investigating targets that may be used to create better methods to diagnose and treat mesothelioma.

 

Results from a study recently published in Molecular Cancer discussed the involvement of FUS1 (TUSC2) in mesothelioma. It also looked at the relationship between decreased TUSC2 expression and exposure to asbestos. 

 

TUSC2 is a novel tumor suppressor gene located in a critical chromosomal region that is often down regulated or erased in malignant mesotheliomas.   The presence of TUSC2 acts not only to suppress asbestos related tumors but also to down-regulate tumor promoting genes. 

 

Furthermore, the study showed that exposure to asbestos causes an observable deficiency in TUSC2, clearly establishing a link between the gene and asbestos.    In approximately 90% of mesothelioma cases there exists a known link to exposure to asbestos.    Results from the study show that suppression of TUSC2 begins early on in the development of mesothelioma and is not necessarily dependent upon the histology or stage of the disease. Results also showed TUSC2 was diminished in over 80% of mesothelioma specimens.

 

In summary, the study documented that the locus of TUSC2 is deleted in mesothelioma tumors, and its expression is suppressed upon exposure to asbestos and becomes down-regulated in mesothelial cells.

 

TUSC2 plays a crucial role in defense against and immunity from development of mesothelioma and other cancers. Its ability to suppress tumors genes, down-regulate oncogenes, and increase immunity suggests that further research needs to be conducted to find ways to restore the presence and activity of TUSC2. Such a discovery would serve as an effective therapeutic intervention at a time when many methods do not yield demonstrable improvements.