Experts from UIC Barcelona's Typical Cyclin Research Group recently led a study in which experts from the Francis Crick Institute in London and the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) also participated. It concluded that a high expression of cyclin-P contributes to the aggressiveness of some tumours and promotes resistance to chemotherapy treatments.

The study, entitled “Atypical cyclin P regulates cancer cell stemness through activation of the WNT pathway”, was recently published in the prestigious journal Cellular Oncology and was undertaken with tumour cell lines and ex vivo intestinal organoids, as well as induced pluripotent stem cells. Research director Mariana P.C. Ribeiro says they were able to demonstrate that “Cyclin-P, an atypical cyclin, regulates stemness in cell models of three highly prevalent cancers, such as breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, and promotes resistance to several chemotherapeutic agents used in clinical practice.”

The researchers decided to analyse these three types of cancer because the amount of cyclin-P is particularly high in them in comparison to normal tissues and also because it is the most prevalent cyclin. Ribeiro also underlined the fact that the results of this study pave the way for the development of new therapies targeting cyclin-P. “We have demonstrated that a high expression of cyclin-P promotes stem cell characteristics in different models. Considering the fact that cancer stem cells are involved in resistance to treatment and metastasis, the identification of cyclin-P as a new regulator of stemness sheds light on how this atypical cyclin can contribute to tumour aggressiveness,” she added.