MicroRNA Enrichment and Docking-Based Evaluation of Ilomastat Targeting of MMP-2 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Insights from a South African Cohort
Sikhumbuzo Z. Mbatha, Mohammed Alaouna, Botle Damane, Tebogo Marutha, Ottovon B. Dakurah, Zodwa Dlamini · 2026
Read MicroRNA Enrichment and Docking-Based Evaluation of Ilomastat Targeting of MMP-2 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Insights from a South African Cohort by Sikhumbuzo Z. Mbatha, Mohammed Alaouna, Botle Damane, Tebogo Marutha, Ottovon B. Dakurah, Zodwa Dlamini (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13181172.txt.
Description
Sikhumbuzo Mbatha and co-authors study, in a 2026 paper, a gene-silencing axis in esophageal cancer in a South African cohort. Tiny RNAs called microRNAs steer cancer growth by tuning gene activity. One family, miR-29, blocks an enzyme, MMP-2, that helps tumors invade nearby tissue. The team asked which microRNA pathways stand out in these tumors, and whether a known enzyme blocker could plausibly plug MMP-2.
They took paired tumor and normal tissue from twenty-nine patients and read the full set of active genes. Pathway analysis flagged several microRNAs tied to the cancer, the miR-29 family among them. Two genes stood out as overactive, one of them a fat-handling gene that can feed tumor growth. Computer docking then tested how the blocker drug might sit in the enzyme's active pocket.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Sikhumbuzo Z. Mbatha, Mohammed Alaouna, Botle Damane, Tebogo Marutha, Ottovon B. Dakurah, Zodwa Dlamini |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 55 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |