Project title: Role of ryanodine receptors in neuroendocrine tumour development: implications in electrophysiological and molecular tumorigenesis mechanisms
Period:
1st period 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2023
2nd period 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024
Project Total costs: 75 000,00 EUR
Principle Investigator BMC: Dr. biol. Vita Rovīte
Partners:
- National Cheng Kung University (TW)
- Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LT)
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study centre (LV)
Project summary:
Pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs) are benign tumour that form in the pituitary gland and have a major negative impact on the patients’ health because of hormone overproduction or mass effects. Biophysical properties of neuroendocrine cells have an elaborate intrinsic role in the regulation of these cells, as their functionality are directly linked to ion channel signalling – major controller of hormonal release and cell inner regulatory circuits. In our previous genomic and transcriptomic studies, we have discovered that ryanodine receptors (RYRs) are one of molecular determinants of pituitary tumour development and functionality, however, the exact role of these intracellular calcium channels in neuroendocrine cell biology and pituitary tumour pathogenesis is not clear. The objective of the project is to investigate the role of RYRs in endocrine cell electrophysiological functionality and neuroendocrine tumour development. The main activities to achieve the goal of the project are: 1) to study pharmacological and biophysical properties of RYRs in endocrine and neuroendocrine cells; 2) to examine how RYRs regulate cancer hallmark properties in pituitary models; 3) to target the specific ion currents or RYR molecular properties for curtailing tumorogenetic transformation; 4) to assess RYRs and cancer hallmark properties in PitNET patient biological samples to investigate clinical implication in tumour growth, invasiveness, hormonal secretion, and response to treatment.
Information published 02.01.2023.