Worm Studies in Cancer Research

According to Medical News Today, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found a protein that is associated with many different cancers that are found in humans. The protein is called TFG-1. The protein is found in many cell types but its exact function and role have never been determined. What has been discovered is that the protein controls key aspects of the movement, or secretion, of growth factors out of cells. From learning this about the worm, researchers believe that the protein plays the same role in humans. They were also able to determine the location of the protein in a cell. The protein lies between the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum. Scientists hope that this basic finding will help future therapies and have begun studying TFG as it relates to B-cell development and the secretion of antibodies.