more-inResearchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, have for the first time studied the early stages of normal cells transforming into cancerous cells. After a while, the cells appear abnormal and have most of the characteristics of cancerous cells. In the study, an alkylating agent (a drug used in chemotherapy) was used to induce the transformation of breast epithelial cells into cancerous cells by activating the DNA-PK gene. The activated DNA-PK was found to disrupt the structure and function of the Golgi, an organelle found in the cell. “Disruption of polarity is one of the hallmarks of cancerous cells,” she says.

Source: The Hindu January 22, 2018 18:45 UTC