Cancer protection secret revealed
>> Saturday, January 31, 2009
Scientists say they have discovered a missing link in the way cells protect themselves against cancer.
They have uncovered how cells switch a gene called p53, which can block the development of tumours, on and off.
The researchers say the finding has important implications for cancer treatment and diagnosis.
The study, published in Genes And Development, was carried out by teams of scientists in Singapore and the University of Dundee.
The p53 gene, first discovered 30 years ago, plays a vital role in keeping the body healthy by ordering damaged cells to commit suicide, or by stopping them dividing while key repair work is carried out.
In half of all cancers the gene is either damaged or inactive, giving damaged cells a free reign to keep dividing and form cancer.
In the latest study, the scientists used a genetic trick to make zebrafish turn green when the p53 gene was switched on to explore the way it was regulated.
They found that the p53 gene makes not only the well-established p53 protein, but also an alternative "control switch" variation of the p53 protein - known as an isoform.
Read More
