New therapeutic target for Mesothelioma identified by İBG researchers: BUB1
New therapeutic target for Mesothelioma identified by İBG researchers: BUB1
A new study led by Prof. Dr. Şerif Şentürk, Principal Investigator at the İzmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (İBG), and postdoctoral researcher Ece Çakıroğlu has identified a promising molecular target for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The study was conducted with contributions from PhD students Sude Eriş and Özden Öz, and Prof. Dr. Gökhan Karakülah. Published in Cell Death & Disease, the research highlights the critical role of BUB1, a cell division–related kinase, in the survival of MPM cells.
Using CRISPR technology, the research team conducted a genome-wide screen to identify essential genes in mesothelioma cells. Comparative analysis revealed that BUB1 is a cancer-specific vulnerability. Both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of BUB1 caused cell cycle arrest, senescence, and apoptosis, while significantly impairing the aggressive characteristics of tumor cells.
At the molecular level, BUB1 was found to be essential for the proper localization of key mitotic regulators and for the function of the spindle assembly checkpoint. Clinical data further supported these findings, showing that BUB1 is highly expressed in MPM tumors and that high expression levels correlate with poorer patient survival. These findings suggest that BUB1 could serve both as a diagnostic biomarker and as a druggable target, offering new hope for more effective treatments for mesothelioma.