Manipulating a natural tumor-suppressing compound within cancer cells could be like flipping a switch to stop tumor growth, researchers say.The compound -- PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase -- goes by the acronym PHLPP or, as the scientists pronounce it, “flip.” PHLPP is located on chromosome 18 and deletes a specific phosphate molecule that, in turn, interrupts signaling from the Akt protein that controls both the death and growth of cancer cells."A drug that turns on PHLPP, so that it suppresses cell growth caused by Akt, could be a potential cancer therapy,” study lead author Alexandra C. Newton, professor of pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the journal Molecular Cell.
