Scientists solve the mystery in key research on cancer

Scientists solve the mystery in key research on cancer -

A meeting between two prominent British and American scientists could eventually helped solve a key mystery in research the cancer.

Scientists have long known that chromosomal defects occur as cells divide repeatedly. Over time, these defects are related to the onset of cancer.

Now, Professor Duncan Baird and his team from Cardiff University in collaboration with Eric A. Hendrickson from the University of Minnesota have identified a specific gene human cells need to survive these types defects.

"We found a gene that appears to be crucial to the evolutionary processes that can lead cancer," said Professor Baird of the Institute for Cancer Genetics and Cardiff University.

"this is a new role for this gene, making it a potential therapeutic target," he added

as cells divide their telomeres. - the "hats" DNA that protect ends of chromosomes damage - shorten, leaving them vulnerable chromosomes to stick to each other

in normal cells, this adhesiveness chromosome is a glas -. a signal to trigger the defective cleaning process cells to move and help finish them.

malignant cells, however, are somehow able to escape the cleaning process.

the current research, published in the journal cell reports , identifies a crucial component that allows older cells to escape death.

using genetic techniques sophisticated targeting to disable some genes in human cells and the study of the impact on telomere fusion, the researchers found that cells escaped death when the gene ligase 3 was active, but not when its action, which seems to favor the merger in as chromosomes rather than between different chromosomes, was blocked.

"telomere dysfunction has been identified in many human cancers, and as we have shown above, short telomeres can predict the outcome of patients [chronic lymphocytic leukemia] and probably many other tumor types, "according to Professor Baird.

"Thus the discovery that Ligase 3 is required for this process is fundamentally important," he adds.

Interestingly, the research was made possible by a chance meeting between Professor Baird Cardiff and Professor Eric Hendrickson of the University of Minnesota at an international conference.

the pair quickly discovered they were both looking at the ligase 3 role in cancer, they decided to collaborate.

"collaboration has paid because we were able to discover something that neither one of us could have done on our own," said Professor Hendrickson.

There is significant, other studies are already underway. in particular, the use Ligase 3 seems, in turn, be dependent on the activity of another key DNA repair gene, p53.

"Since p53 is the most frequently mutated in human cancer gene, it is now up to discover how these genes interact and to see if we can not use that information to develop synergistic treatment modalities," added Hendrickson the teacher.