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A gene for metastasis
August 28, 2007Weizmann Institute scientists reveal the actions of a key player in colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the Western world. The tumor starts off as a polyp but then turns into an invasive and violent cancer, which often spreads to the liver. In an article recently published in the journal Cancer Research, Prof. Avri Ben-Ze'ev and Dr. Nancy Gavert of the Weizmann Institute's Molecular Cell Biology Department reveal mechanisms that help this cancer metastasize.
In a majority of cases, colorectal cancer is initiated by changes in a key protein - beta-catenin. One of the roles of this protein is to enter the cell nucleus and activate gene expression. But in colorectal and other cancers, beta-catenin over-accumulates in the cell and inappropriately activates genes, leading to cancer.
Surprisingly, one of the genes activated by beta-catenin, which had been previously detected in colorectal cancer cells by Ben-Ze'ev's group, codes for a receptor called L1-CAM. This receptor is a protein usually found on nerve cells, where it plays a role in nerve cell recognition and motility. What is this receptor doing in cancer cells" Ben-Ze'ev's previous research had shown that L1-CAM is only expressed on certain cells located at the invasive front of the tumor tissue, hinting that it could be an important player in metastasis.
In this study, the scientists found that colorectal cancer cells engineered to express the L1-CAM gene indeed spread to the liver, while those cells lacking L1-CAM did not.
In collaboration with Prof. Eytan Domany and research student Michal Sheffer of the Insitute's Physics of Complex Systems Department, Ben-Ze'ev then compared the expression of genes induced by L1-CAM in cultured colon cancer cells to those in 170 samples of colorectal cancer tissue removed from patients, and in 40 samples of normal colon tissue. Out of some 160 genes induced by L1-CAM, about 60 were highly expressed in the cancerous tissue, but not in normal colon tissue. Ben-Ze'ev plans to conduct further research into the role of these genes, to uncover L1-CAM's function in metastasis.
Weizmann Institute of Science
Surprisingly, one of the genes activated by beta-catenin, which had been previously detected in colorectal cancer cells by Ben-Ze'ev's group, codes for a receptor called L1-CAM. This receptor is a protein usually found on nerve cells, where it plays a role in nerve cell recognition and motility. What is this receptor doing in cancer cells" Ben-Ze'ev's previous research had shown that L1-CAM is only expressed on certain cells located at the invasive front of the tumor tissue, hinting that it could be an important player in metastasis.
In this study, the scientists found that colorectal cancer cells engineered to express the L1-CAM gene indeed spread to the liver, while those cells lacking L1-CAM did not.
In collaboration with Prof. Eytan Domany and research student Michal Sheffer of the Insitute's Physics of Complex Systems Department, Ben-Ze'ev then compared the expression of genes induced by L1-CAM in cultured colon cancer cells to those in 170 samples of colorectal cancer tissue removed from patients, and in 40 samples of normal colon tissue. Out of some 160 genes induced by L1-CAM, about 60 were highly expressed in the cancerous tissue, but not in normal colon tissue. Ben-Ze'ev plans to conduct further research into the role of these genes, to uncover L1-CAM's function in metastasis.
Weizmann Institute of Science
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Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have identified a molecular mechanism that allows two powerful signaling pathways to interact and begin a process leading to colorectal tumors.
African-Americans with colorectal cancer have poorer outcomes, lower survival rates
New research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgical procedures compared with Caucasians, suggesting that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans.
Colon cancer screening more effective earlier in day, UCLA study finds
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1 disease, not 1 demographic
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Study shows unsedated colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening well accepted by patients
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M. D. Anderson redefines screening guidelines for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers
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The bowels of infection
Current research suggests that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The related report by Onyeagocha et al, "Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental colitis," appears in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
How to Lower Costs, Waiting Times for Colonoscopies
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Excess body weight causes over 124,000 new cancers a year in Europe
At least 124,000 new cancers in 2008 in Europe may have been caused by excess body weight, according to estimates from a new modelling study.
Adding cetuximab to chemotherapy reduces advanced lung cancer death risk by 13 percent
Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are given cetuximab (Erbitux) in addition to chemotherapy are 13% less likely to die than those who receive chemotherapy alone, regardless of which chemotherapy drug cocktail is used, new research finds. They also experience slower disease progression and an increased chance of tumour shrinkage.
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