A new study by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago reveals how enzymes in heart cells can ward off harm from chemotherapy drugs. This new understanding opens up the possibilities for customized chemotherapy treatments, enhancing protection for heart cells and inspiring more research into heart disease and other disorders.
The team from the University of Illinois Chicago has uncovered a fresh process where enzymes can mitigate heart damage in individuals undergoing chemotherapy.
These enzymes, usually found in the mitochondria—the cell’s energy-making powerhouse—were seen to move to the cell nucleus when heart cells face stress due to certain chemotherapy drugs. This enzyme relocation seems to contribute to the survival of these cells. The study was published on July 19 in the Nature Communications journal.
Emergence of Cardio-Oncology and Associated Difficulties
“With the rising effectiveness of chemotherapy, we are seeing more cancer survivors. However, many of these survivors now face heart failure issues,” expressed co-senior author Sang Ging Ong, assistant professor of pharmacology and medicine.
This unfortunate trend has led to the rise of a new discipline, cardio-oncology, primarily studying how chemotherapy drugs affect heart cells’ mitochondria. The researchers sought to explore a different angle: What makes certain patients’ hearts resistant to damage? Could specific characteristics of their cells offer this protection?
Understanding the Processes Protecting Heart Cells
Initially, the team found that when chemotherapy stressed heart cells, the mitochondrial enzymes relocated to the cell’s nucleus—a peculiar occurrence. However, the researchers were uncertain whether this enzyme movement caused or defended the cell from damage, as explained by Dr. Jalees Rehman, co-senior author and the head of UIC’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
He said, “We really didn’t know which way it would go.”
To clear this uncertainty, the team created enzyme variants that specifically targeted the nucleus, bypassing the mitochondria. They discovered that this deliberate enzyme migration fortified the cells, thereby improving their survival rate. This protective method was noted both in heart cells derived from human stem cells and in chemotherapy-treated mice.
Rehman, who is also part of the University of Illinois Cancer Center, stated, “This seems to be a new mechanism by which heart cells can defend themselves against chemotherapy damage.”
Potential Clinical Applications and Future Research
This revelation brings new clinical opportunities. Doctors could evaluate individual patients to see if their heart cells, developed from personalized stem cells, could protect themselves from chemotherapy by moving their enzymes from the mitochondria to the nucleus. This procedure would involve taking a blood sample from the patient, creating stem cells from these blood cells, and then producing heart cells genetically identical to the patient’s own.
Rehman mentioned, “Assessing the injury caused by chemotherapy and the enzyme movement from the mitochondria into the nucleus of those heart cells in a lab would help determine what the patient’s likely response would be to chemotherapy.”
For patients lacking sufficient protection, enhancing this defense mechanism by increasing the enzyme migration and strengthening the heart cells might be possible.
The researchers are eager to conduct more studies to see if this approach could prevent heart damage from other conditions like high blood pressure and heart attacks and whether it could be beneficial to other cells, such as those in blood vessels.
Reference: “Nuclear translocation of mitochondrial dehydrogenases as an adaptive cardioprotective mechanism” by Shubhi Srivastava, Priyanka Gajwani, Jordan Jousma, Hiroe Miyamoto, Youjeong Kwon, Arundhati Jana, Peter T. Toth, Gege Yan, Sang-Ging Ong, and Jalees Rehman, 19 July 2023, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40084-5
Other contributors to the paper include Shubhi Srivastava, Priyanka Gajwani, Jordan Jousma, Hiroe Miyamoto, Youjeong Kwon, Arundhati Jana, Peter Toth, and Gege Yan, all from UIC’s College of Medicine. The research received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Cardio-Oncology Research
What is the main finding of the study conducted by the University of Illinois Chicago researchers?
The study found that enzymes in heart cells can mitigate the harmful effects of chemotherapy drugs. These enzymes, usually located in the cell’s mitochondria, are observed to move to the cell’s nucleus under chemotherapy stress, helping to increase cell survival.
What is the significance of enzymes moving from the mitochondria to the nucleus of heart cells?
The migration of these enzymes from the mitochondria to the nucleus appears to enhance the survival of heart cells under the stress of chemotherapy. This phenomenon provides a new mechanism by which heart cells can protect themselves from chemotherapy damage.
How might this study impact future chemotherapy treatments?
This study opens the door for personalized approaches to chemotherapy. By understanding if a patient’s heart cells have the ability to protect themselves by relocating their enzymes, physicians could potentially design treatments that maximize effectiveness while minimizing heart damage.
What is the emerging field of cardio-oncology?
Cardio-oncology is a new discipline that primarily studies the impact of chemotherapy drugs on the heart cells’ mitochondria. It arose from the observation that many cancer survivors, while successfully treated for their cancer, subsequently experience heart problems.
What are the potential applications of this research outside of chemotherapy?
The researchers plan to investigate whether this mechanism of heart cell protection could also help prevent heart damage from other conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart attacks, and if it could be applied to other types of cells, like those in blood vessels.
More about Cardio-Oncology Research
- Nature Communications Journal
- University of Illinois Chicago
- University of Illinois Cancer Center
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, UIC
- American Heart Association
- National Institutes of Health
6 comments
Wait, so they’re talking about making heart cells from a patient’s own stem cells…That’s kinda mind blowing. Love to see this kinda research.
Finally some good news. it’s about time we find ways to decrease the damage caused by chemo. Good job UIC!
i always wondered why chemo has such a severe impact on the heart. This helps clear things up, thanks!
This is really promising.. my mother has heart problems and is afraid of chemo…hope this leads to safer treatments!
Wow, this is a major step in cancer treatment. Can’t imagine how many lives this might save in future!
Hmm… if enzymes can protect heart cells, I wonder if they can be applied to other cells as well. This opens up so many possibilities!