Navigation Links
Scientists discover a genetic switch that links animal growth and cancer

Laboratory discoveries by scientists at two universities may lead to new directions in cancer therapy drugs. The researchers have discovered that a genetic switch involved in growth and development of an animal is the same one used to prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous.

The findings are reported in the April 18 issue of Current Biology. Experiments were carried out by first author Masamitsu Fukuyama, a postdoctoral scientist working in the laboratories of Joel H. Rothman, a professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Ann Rougvie, a professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of Minnesota. Fukuyama is now an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo.

"The parallels between the control of development during the normal process of maturation and the control of cancer growth are striking," said Rothman. "We recognize that cancer cells in many ways simply mimic what normal cells do in a developing animal, only at an unfortunate time and place."

In life, there is a time to wait and a time to grow, Rothman explained. "Many creatures remain in a waiting state until conditions are right for growth. A tiny redwood, for example, can remain persistently arrested for years inside a seed. Only when the seed senses water will it sprout and initiate development into a mature tree. Many animals similarly halt their development until the environment is right for growth and development."

The process is the same with cells, the basic units of life. Many cells remain in a quiescent state, neither growing nor multiplying until they are triggered to do so by an environmental cue, such as a hormone or injury. Cells possess braking mechanisms that keep them in this quiescent state. When the brakes fail, cells that should be static start growing and dividing, leading to cancer. These brakes are proteins called tumor sup
'"/>

Source:University of California - Santa Barbara


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Scientists ID molecular switch in liver that triggers harmful effects of saturated and trans fats
2. Scientists Replicate Hepatitis C Virus in Laboratory
3. Scientists detect probable genetic cause of some Parkinsons disease cases
4. Scientists find missing enzyme for tuberculosis iron scavenging pathway
5. Scientists seek answers on what activates deadly anthrax spores
6. Yale Scientists Find MicroRNA Regulates Ras Cancer Gene
7. Scientists collaborate to assess health of global environment
8. Scientists decipher genome of fungus that can cause life-threatening infections
9. Scientists discover the cellular roots of graying hair
10. Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells
11. Scientists develop new color-coded test for protein folding
Post Your Comments:
(Date:9/4/2008)...HIA Scientists at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center...ung cancer specifically for African Americans that...pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a report pu...on Research, a journal of the American Associatio...nalyzed data from 491 African Americans with lung ...
(Date:9/4/2008)...CREEK, Calif. Subtle genetic changes that confer a...he dexterity characteristic of the human hand, whi...e in a model system, have nevertheless generated k...indings published online in the September 5 editio....S. Department of Energy,s Lawrence Berkeley Natio...
(Date:9/4/2008)... Ill. --- Biological systems are constantly evolvi...l amidst environmental fluctuations and internal e...western University research team has found new evi... that are especially well suited to handle potenti...ions. , The results, published online this wee...
(Date:9/4/2008)...INew research from the University of Cincinnati (U... hard plasticsbisphenol A (BPA)as a risk factor fo...a laboratory study, using fresh human fat tissues,...ne, adiponectin, which is responsible for regulati... at a substantially higher risk for metabolic synd...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):African-Americans have unique lung cancer risks from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2Thumbs up -- a tiny ancestral remnant lends developmental edge to humans 2Thumbs up -- a tiny ancestral remnant lends developmental edge to humans 3New evidence on the robustness of metabolic networks 2Bisphenol A linked to metabolic syndrome in human tissue 2Removing Ovaries Before Menopause Leads to Memory Movement Troubles 238 1Removing Ovaries Before Menopause Leads to Memory Movement Troubles 238 2Removing Ovaries Before Menopause Leads to Memory Movement Troubles 238 3eResearchTechnology to Present at the Thomas Weisel Healthcare Conference 2007 on September 5th 250 1eResearchTechnology to Present at the Thomas Weisel Healthcare Conference 2007 on September 5th 250 2eResearchTechnology to Present at the Thomas Weisel Healthcare Conference 2007 on September 5th 250 3Gene regulation in humans is closer than expected to simple organisms 183 1Gene regulation in humans is closer than expected to simple organisms 183 2Amber specimen captures ancient chemical battle 181 1Amber specimen captures ancient chemical battle 181 2Amber specimen captures ancient chemical battle 181 3
... latest issue of the Japanese journal, Plant Cell ...aimed at enhancing vegetable species in the intere...e shown that, in the presence of saccharose (a sub...ibuted around the plant), the cells of the reserve... "swallow up" nutrients in order to metabolise and...
... the University of California, Riverside is part o...governs genetic expression and repression, a findi...sms. , Zhang, an academic coordinator at the Mass ...ry at UCR, worked with Feng Xu and Michael Grunste...e David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA on a pap...
...m earlier studies suggests that exposure to second...ental to a developing fetus as primary exposure th...r from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate Schoo...online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen G. Grant, P...upational health, reports that both active materna...
...m 10 to 100 billion neurons, and each has hundreds...ense of these intricate connections is essential t...monumental one. , Thanks to a new theoretical appr...LoS Computational Biology by Bagrat Amirikian, a r... University of Minnesota, the task is now feasible...
Other Biology News:Mechanism for the captation of nutrients in plants- unknown to date 2UCR chemist part of team identifying new areas of gene regulation 2Any exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy is risky 2
(Date:9/5/2008)...08 Medical Products Industry Leader, DEERFIELD, I...rnational,Inc. (NYSE: BAX ) announced today that ...eader of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index ...h America Index (DJSI North,America). This marks t...n,listed in the DJSI and the seventh year the comp...
(Date:9/5/2008)...uring industry-leading event September 10 - 11, ...BURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 5 /- Plexus ... software for the medical manufacturing,enterprise...ogy Conference,September 10-11, 2008 at the San Jo...., (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20...
(Date:9/5/2008)...st to use rapid, automated DNA sequencing to ...NEW YORK, Sept. 5 /- eGenomics, Inc.,...enomic and informational systems for,infectious di...tes Patent,and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently i...of its proprietary warning system for hospital inf...
(Date:9/5/2008)...- Campbell Alliance, the leading,mana...eutical and biotech,industry, today announced that...speaking engagements at the Center for Business In...he Pharma Sales Model, to be held September,8 and ...PA., An award-winning sales professional before b...
Breaking Biology Technology:Baxter Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Tenth Consecutive Year 2Plexus Systems, Inc. to Exhibit at BIOMEDevice Medical Technology Conference 2eGenomics Awarded First U.S. Patent Covering Rapid DNA Sequencing Technology Platform to Control Hospital-Acquired Infections 2eGenomics Awarded First U.S. Patent Covering Rapid DNA Sequencing Technology Platform to Control Hospital-Acquired Infections 3Campbell Alliance Sales Practice to Present at CBI's Leadership Summit on Evolving the Pharma Sales Model 2Campbell Alliance Sales Practice to Present at CBI's Leadership Summit on Evolving the Pharma Sales Model 3Campbell Alliance Sales Practice to Present at CBI's Leadership Summit on Evolving the Pharma Sales Model 4
...requency identification technology is often touted...in the health care world, the technology is bringi...and security. , ,"Everybody wants to focus on the ...tions in health care a lot of applications that s...n analyst with Robert W. Baird and Co. in Milwau...
...X International a developer of software products ... (AIDC) marketplace, has announced LABELVIEW 8 lab...LABELVIEW for wireless bar code label printing. ,...xpand LABELVIEW support for RFID applications and ... over 1,000 devices. , ,TEKLYNX is headquartered i...
...orkstation , Milwaukee, Wis. Merge eMed , a ...ging software and services company, today announce...g-in Advanced Visualization and Clinical Applicati...idely used desktop diagnostic imaging software inc...rther accelerate the productivity of radiologists....
...vate companies have formed a technology alliance t... broadband wireless Internet ("Wi-Fi") access to r...s the support of Madison,s Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. ...area and eventually extend over the entire city. T...egin service by March 2006 and coverage will be ex...
Other Biology Technology:RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world 2RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world 3RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world 4RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world 5New alliance to provide Wi-Fi network for City of Madison 2New alliance to provide Wi-Fi network for City of Madison 3New alliance to provide Wi-Fi network for City of Madison 4