« Carbohydrates Not Guilty | Main | An American Soapbox Moment »
January 4, 2006
Cancer Researchers Describe 'Suicide Gene' That Can Halt Metastasis In Some Cancers
Topics: Medicine
A major problem with cancer is not necessarily the primary tumor formation, but the ability of some tumor cells within that primary tumor to metastasize, or travel to distant sites, where they develop new tumors. Now, a team of cancer researchers from the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, has shown that a gene commonly lost during neuroblastoma tumor formation, one of the most aggressive cancers in babies and children, is in fact a "metastasis suppressor" gene - Caspase 8.
Caspase 8's normal role is to act as a suicide gene (induces apoptosis) , killing the cell it is housed within in response to cues from the immune system. The research group had previously shown, in normal human cells, that caspase 8 can be activated even without signals from the immune system, particularly when the cell is present in a foreign location. This acts as a mechanism to ensure the cells would survive only in appropriate tissues; for example, liver cells in liver tissue and skin cells in skin tissue.
A number of other cancers may use this same mechanism for regulating their metastatic properties, which the researchers are now studying. Caspase 8 loss or suppression is seen in about 70 percent of small cell lung cancer, about 10 percent of colon cancer and about 35 percent of medulloblastoma. While genetic mutation will sometimes delete both copies of the caspase 8 gene, typically the gene is simply silenced.
Posted by Richard at January 4, 2006 1:55 PM
Articles Related to Medicine:
- Monitor Your Moles For Signs Of Dangerous Skin Cancer - Apr 28, 2008
- Compound Found In Soybeans May Halt Spread Of Prostate Cancer - Apr 01, 2008
- Fewer Doses Of Radiation Still Effective In Beating Breast Cancer - Mar 19, 2008
- Severe Psychological Stress May Be Linked To Breast Cancer - Mar 10, 2008
- Scientists Say Anti-Cancer Smart Bomb Ready For Human Use - Mar 05, 2008
- New Research Confirms The Power Of Images In The Brain To Heal The Body - Jan 07, 2008
- Genentech's Avastin Shows Promise In Brain Cancer - Nov 18, 2007
- Synthetic Molecule Makes Cancer Cells Commit Suicide - Nov 14, 2007
- New Targeted Approach To Light-Activated Cancer Drugs With Tumor-Seeking Antibodies Shows Promise - Nov 10, 2007
- Study Suggests New Pill Is Better Than Traditional Chemotherapy - Oct 09, 2007
