A recent study suggests that two recently discovered genetic differences between brain cancer cells and normal tissue cells could offer clues to tumour behaviour and potential new targets for therapy. By keeping telomeres long, ATRX mutations give cells the ability to endlessly divide, a hallmark of cancer. In an effort to unravel that mystery, the team focused on the ways those cancer cells regulate the expression of genes or whether they make their constituent proteins. Unlike unaltered cancer cells, these new cells formed 30% fewer colonies and had decreased levels of other proteins, such as Nestin, by a third. Researchers might also be able to target microRNAs directly, altering their levels to make cancer cells less likely to form tumours.

Source: dna December 03, 2016 17:29 UTC