Researchers find a key cancer in old primitive and evolutionary animals -
Discovery of a primary cancer in a primitive animal
Each year about 450,000 people in Germany are diagnosed with cancer. Each of them dreams of a victory in the battle against it. But cancer can never be completely overcome? Researchers at the University of Kiel (CAU) have reached a conclusion sobering: "Cancer is as old as multicellular life on earth and will probably never be completely eradicated," says Professor Thomas Bosch in its latest research results. the study by an international team led by Bosch was released today (Monday, June 24) in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications .
the so-called cancer genes are ancient
causes tumors are called cancer genes. from when changes began producing tumors is a question that scientists Tomislav Domazet-Lo-o Diethard TAUTZ of the Max Planck Institute for evolutionary biology in Pl-n have studied for several years, using methods and bio-information databases that they have developed internally. "in search of origin of the cancer gene, we made an unexpected discovery in the ancient group of animals, "says Domazet-Lo-o. It is one of the authors of this study and is currently working on Ruder Bo-Kovic Institute and the Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb. "Our data predict that the first multicellular animals had most of the genes that can cause cancer in humans." What was missing until now was, first, proof that these animals may actually suffer from tumors and, secondly, molecular understanding of tumor formation mechanisms in these simple animals.
because of tumors: error in programming of cell death
The research team led by evolutionary biologist Professor Thomas Bosch from the Zoological Institute University of Kiel have now reached an impressive understanding of the roots of cancer. Bosch investigated stem cells and the regulation of tissue growth in Hydra , an ancient phylogenetic polyp, for many years. "Polyps bearing tumors Now we have discovered in two different species of Hydra , a body very similar to corals," said Bosch regarding the first result of the new study. This provides evidence that tumors do exist in the old primitive and evolutionary animals.
The team also tracked the cell causes tumors along the axis of the body. For the first time, they were able to show that stem cells, which are programmed to sexual differentiation, accumulate in large quantities and are naturally eliminated by programmed cell death. Interestingly, these tumors affect only women Hydra polyps and resemble ovarian cancers in humans.
"When to more detailed molecular analysis of tumors we found a gene that becomes active dramatically in tumor tissue that normally prevents cell death," says Alexander Klimovich, a fellow student the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at Kiel University Zoological Institute and co-senior author of the current study on the second conclusion of the study. "As cell non-functioning death mechanism is also responsible for the growth and spread of tumors in many types of human cancer, striking similarities appear here to cancer in humans," says Klimovich.
the third conclusion of the scientists was to show that the tumor cells are invasive. This means that if the tumor cells are introduced into a healthy organism, they can trigger tumor growth there. therefore, Bosch concluded following his research on Hydra case ". The invasive characteristic of cancer cells is also a feature of the old evolution "
Tumors have deep roots in the evolution
funds which are deployed world in the fight against cancer is huge. It has been estimated that in the US alone, more than $ 500 billion was invested in cancer research in 2012. research worldwide has improve methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, which can certainly register success. However, it is precisely to the extent that some common tumors are concerned where only slow progress has been made. Every second person affected by cancer still succumb to the disease today. in Germany, only every fourth person died of cancer and this trend is increasing. (World cancer Report 2014) These figures have been an incentive to National Institute of health in the United States to launch a network of physical sciences oncology Centers, a new initiative that aims to bridge the intellectual barriers between various scientific disciplines. Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist well known and popular science writer who now leads such a center in Phoenix, Arizona, recently concluded: "Clearly, we will understand cancer in the context of the biological history" (. the Guardian , 2012)
According to the research team led by Bosch, primordial tumor findings in Hydra are a breakthrough step in this direction " our research reconfirms that the primordial animals such as Hydra polyps provide a huge amount of information to help us understand these complex problems as "cancer." our study also unlikely that the "war against cancer "proclaimed in 1970 can never be won. However, knowing your enemy him origins is the best way to fight it, and win many battles," says Bosch.
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