A new study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR) showed that a specific retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) agonist RNA (RAR) induces innate immune signalling and death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.
Michael Gale, Jr., from the University of Washington School of Medicine, USA, and coauthors, evaluated the actions of a specific RIG-I agonist RNA against two distinct human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
RAR is a synthetic-modified RNA motif derived from the hepatitis C virus genome that is specifically recognised by RIG-I and induces innate immune activation, including the production of interferon (IFN)-b, when delivered to cells.
The investigators showed that RAR-induced cell death is potentiated by the addition of recombinant IFN-b.
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Based on the current study and previously published work, the investigators propose a model for RAR-induced cell death.
“We conclude that RAR treatment could contribute to strategies for the control of liver cancer and other cancer types.”
“The findings described in this report suggest a potential new mechanism for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma,” says Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research Executive Editor, Raymond Donnelly, PhD.
