8月在线出版的《自然—化学生物学》期刊报道称，研究人员收集了一批能抑制人类癌细胞生长的自然产物，对这些产物的研究发现了抗癌治疗的新靶标。
部分自然产生的小分子能抑制人类癌细胞的生长，但科学家们一直不清楚它们抑制癌细胞生长的机制。Matthew Shair 和同事合作，鉴别出靶向癌细胞中自然产物的氧类固醇结合蛋白质（oxysterol-binding protein，OSBP ）和氧类固醇结合蛋白质相关蛋白质。氧类固醇结合蛋白质和与氧类固醇结合蛋白质相关蛋白质在细胞的信号传导、脂质运输和脂类化合物代谢中发挥了作用，然而，科学家们并不知道它们对癌细胞生长或生存的影响。
通过靶向这些蛋白质鉴别出一系列抑制癌细胞生长的分子，为深入研究氧类固醇结合蛋白质及其相关蛋白质与癌症的关系提供了新工具，也为新治疗方法的研究提供了新靶标。
生物探索推荐原文摘要：
Natural products reveal cancer cell dependence on oxysterol-binding proteins
Cephalostatin 1, OSW-1, ritterazine B and schweinfurthin A are natural products that potently, and in some cases selectively, inhibit the growth of cultured human cancer cell lines. The cellular targets of these small molecules have yet to be identified. We have discovered that these molecules target oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) and its closest paralog, OSBP-related protein 4L (ORP4L)—proteins not known to be involved in cancer cell survival. OSBP and the ORPs constitute an evolutionarily conserved protein superfamily, members of which have been implicated in signal transduction, lipid transport and lipid metabolism. The functions of OSBP and the ORPs, however, remain largely enigmatic. Based on our findings, we have named the aforementioned natural products ORPphilins. Here we used ORPphilins to reveal new cellular activities of OSBP. The ORPphilins are powerful probes of OSBP and ORP4L that will be useful in uncovering their cellular functions and their roles in human diseases.
