A compound being studied in the investigation of intestinal birth defects may prove useful in fighting cancer, according to the results of a recent study published in the February 25 issue of Chemistry & Biology. During the screening of chemical compounds created by North Carolina State chemist Dr. Alex Deiters, developmental biologist Dr. Nanette Nascone-Yoder found one of particular interest to her research: a compound that induced heterotaxia, a disordering or mirror-image “flipping” of internal organs, in the frog embryos she was studying. Dr. Nascone-Yoder is particularly interested in the genetic processes involved in proper formation of the gut tube, which later becomes the intestinal tract. “For the intestinal tract to form properly, it has to develop asymmetrically. This compound disrupts asymmetry, so it could be quite useful in helping us to determine when and where intestinal development goes wrong in embryos,” Dr. Nascone-Yoder said. But the compound, dubbed “heterotaxin” by the researchers, had effects beyond just inducing heterotaxia. “We also noticed that the compound prevents normal blood-vessel formation and prevents cells from migrating by increasing cellular adhesion – basically, the cells are stuck together and can’t move.”
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