The journal Nature has published in its first issue of May, a commentary by the director of the IDIBELL’s Metabolism and Cancer research group, George Thomas, and the researcher of the same group Antonio Gentilella. Los investigadores hablan sobre dos estudios publicados en el mismo número de la revista, sobre la proteína quinasa mTOR, un regulador clave para la síntesis de las proteínas.

The mTOR kinase regulates the transition of several proteins that promote cell cycle progression. A malfunction of mTOR is associated with many diseases, particularly cancer. The two papers commented by the IDIBELL researchers refer to studies made with a novel technology of active translation of messenger RNA, followed by inhibition of mTOR by two drugs, which has provided a new insight into the function of this key protein. In the article, titled “the director’s cut”, Thomas and Gentilella emphasize that the results of the commented studies “suggest that the existence of a defined code of mTOR could modulate the effects of this protein under different cellular circumstances.”

Both researchers have recently joined IDIBELL, from the Institute of Metabolic Diseases, University of Cincinnati, and works on the new group of Metabolism and Cancer of the research centre of Bellvitge.

Article’s reference

Gentilella A, Thomas G. Cancer biology: The director’s cut. Nature. 2012 May 2;485(7396):50-1. doi: 10.1038/485050a.