Grant: Project Grant

Metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality. However, the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells detach from the primary tumor, spread throughout the body, and establish colonies in distant tissues remain incompletely understood. Using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), our previous work has uncovered novel proteins that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Many of these have homologs in humans, and we have begun investigating their roles in cancer cells. One area of focus has been the human CNK and KSR proteins. Interestingly, our findings reveal that these proteins are critical for the motility and invasiveness of cancer cells of various origins. We have also found that they interact with other key regulators of cell motility. For example, our recent work on CNK2 shows that it functions at the core of a previously unrecognized network of proteins that coordinate motility signals, enabling cancer cells to migrate and invade surrounding tissues. Building on these discoveries, we now propose to investigate the roles of functionally related proteins, namely, SAMD12, CNK3, and KSR2, in promoting cancer cell motility at the molecular level. Through this work, we aim to uncover novel mechanisms that drive cancer cell dissemination. These insights could pave the way for the development of targeted anti-metastatic therapies, providing new strategies to prevent cancer spread and improve patient outcomes.