Research from the Edinger Lab in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology at UCI reveals how a natural lipid called sphingosine may help fight cancer. The team discovered that sphingosine binds to proteins that normally transport growth-driving molecules into the cell nucleus, while also activating a tumor-suppressing enzyme. Together, these effects block cancer-promoting factors like MYC and NF-κB, even in drug-resistant tumors. These findings open the door to new therapeutic strategies based on sphingolipid biology.
The study, entitled “Sphingosine simultaneously inhibits nuclear import and activates PP2A by binding importins and PPP2R1A”, was published in the August 2025 issue of EMBO Journal.