A protein called SNRPC helps glioma cells grow, lab and mouse study finds
Original title: The spliceosome component SNRPC promotes glioma progression by sustaining mitochondrial function and TNFAIP2 signaling.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was only done in lab cells and in mice, not in people.
The short version
Scientists found a protein that brain tumor cells seem to need, and blocking it slowed the tumors in lab dishes and in mice.
What was studied. Researchers looked at a protein called SNRPC in glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary tumor samples and in glioma cells grown in the lab. They also turned the protein off in glioma cells and tested those cells in mice.
What they found. SNRPC was found at higher levels in glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary tissue than normal, and higher levels went along with higher tumor grade and a worse outlook. When researchers turned SNRPC off, the glioma cells grew, moved, and spread less, and more of them died. Normal brain cells called astrocytes were not affected the same way. In mice, turning the protein off slowed tumor growth both under the skin and in the brain.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This points to a possible new target for future brain tumor drugs. It also suggests the level of this protein might one day help doctors judge how a tumor is likely to behave. For now it adds to what scientists know about how glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary cells make the energy they need to grow.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment you can get. The work was done in cells in a dish and in mice, not in people. No drug that blocks this protein was tested in a patient. Results in mice often do not carry over to humans. This is early lab science, and it is not a cure or a promise of one.
Source: PubMed, July 17, 2026 · Read the original
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