Researchers identify new drug targets for cancerJanuary 02, 2007Solving a 100-year-old genetic puzzle, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have determined that the same genetic mechanism that drives tumor growth can also act as a tumor suppressor. Their findings could lead to new drug targets for cancer therapies. In a study published in the January 1 issue of Cancer Cell, Don Cleveland, Ph.D., UCSD Professor of Medicine, Neurosciences and Cellular and Molecular Medicine and member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, looked at a common characteristic of cancer cells called aneuploidy. Aneuploidy - the occurrence of one or more extra or missing chromosomes - was first proposed as the cause of cancerous tumors nearly a century ago by German biologist Theodor Boveri, but his hypothesis had remained unproven. "We questioned whether the wrong number of chromosomes contributed to tumor growth, or was a consequences of the accrued damage in cancerous cells," said Cleveland.
To find out, researchers in the Cleveland lab created and analyzed mouse models with cells having a highly variable number of chromosomes to discover if such aneuploidy made the mice more tumor-prone. "We found that, with age, having cells which inherited the wrong composition of chromosomes resulted in a larger number of spontaneous tumors," said Cleveland. But the more unexpected feature of their findings was discovered when the research team added other genetic errors to mice with a high rate of aneuploidy - tumor development was slowed. The UCSD researchers also studied mice that were missing a tumor suppressor gene, which is a gene that acts to prevent cell growth. If a mutation occurs in this gene, it makes the individual - or in this case, the mouse - more susceptible to the development of cancer in the tissue in which the mutation occurs. "When we created mice missing a tumor suppressor gene that also had a high rate of aneuploidy, tumor development was actually sharply delayed," said Cleveland, adding that in tumors, "there is always a balance between uncontrolled growth and death." The researchers hope that, in the future, they can develop what they are calling "aneuploidy therapy." Drugs that inhibit accurate delivery of the right number of chromosomes to each new cell, resulting in aneuploidy, would be used to destroy tumors caused by mutations in the tumor suppressors. "This study opens up a whole series of potential therapeutic targets for cancer," said Beth A.A. Weaver, of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and UCSD Department of Cellu University of California - San Diego | ||||||||||
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Related Aneuploidy News Articles Levels of folate in men's diets is linked to chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm Researchers have found an association between a vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, fruit and pulses and levels of chromosomal abnormalities in men's sperm. Men who consumed high levels of folate (a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food) and folic acid (the synthetic form of the vitamin) tended to have lower levels of abnormal sperm where a chromosome had been lost or gained (known as aneuploidy). Study links dietary folate intake to genetic abnormalities in sperm Healthy men who report lower levels of the nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 'Network' approach identifies potential breast cancer susceptibility gene Like a crossword-puzzle solver who uses the letters in some answers to figure out others, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an international group of collaborators have used data on genes involved in inherited forms of breast cancer to identify a gene linked to non-hereditary cases of the disease. Double identities lie behind chromosome disorders Chromosome disorders in sex cells cause infertility, miscarriage and irregular numbers of chromosomes (aneuploidy) in neonates. A new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics shows how chromosome disorders can arise when sex cells are formed. Support for chromosomal theory of cancer found in cancers' development of drug resistance Thirty-six years into the war on cancer, scientists have not only failed to come up with a cure, but most of the newer drugs suffer from the same problems as those available in the pre-war days: serious toxicity, limited effectiveness and eventual resistance. New study finds amniocentesis safer for pregnant women Amniocentesis is the most commonly prescribed invasive test performed during pregnancies in the United States. 'Signature' of chromosome instability predicts cancer outcomes Microscopic examination of tumor specimens cannot always predict a cancer's aggressiveness, leading to increased interest in molecular approaches to diagnosis. MIT sheds light on how tumor cells form MIT cancer researchers have discovered a process that may explain how some tumor cells form, a discovery that could one day lead to new therapies that prevent defective cells from growing and spreading. Chromosomal abnormalities in sperm higher after vasectomy reversal Men who have had a vasectomy reversed have a very much greater rate of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm than do normal fertile men. New method of testing eggs for abnormalities could solve problems of embryo freezing Italian researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to test a woman's egg, before fertilisation, for chromosomal abnormalities that might make an embryo less likely to implant successfully or more likely to miscarry at a later stage. More Aneuploidy News Articles |
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