 |
|
Dual functions of gene revealed, for better and for worse
May 27, 2008Researchers at WEHI have pinpointed the function of a potent cancer gene.
The gene, known as "ERG", has long been associated with a range of human malignancies, including leukemia and sarcoma. American scientists showed in 2005 that ERG is mutated in more than half of all prostate cancers.
It was unclear, however, what function ERG normally performs in the human body and why it is so carcinogenic when mutated.
The team at WEHI has now demonstrated that ERG's usual role is to regulate the activity of blood stem cells. Without ERG, these cells cannot divide normally and the body fails to generate the trillions of blood cells that required each day to carry oxygen and fight infection.
The study suggests that ERG causes cancer by convincing normal cells to behave like stem cells, triggering unrestrained growth and expansion.
The findings offer hope that the targets of ERG might now be open to identification, which in the future might lead to new drugs that shut down the proliferation of cancer cells.
Research Australia
The team at WEHI has now demonstrated that ERG's usual role is to regulate the activity of blood stem cells. Without ERG, these cells cannot divide normally and the body fails to generate the trillions of blood cells that required each day to carry oxygen and fight infection.
The study suggests that ERG causes cancer by convincing normal cells to behave like stem cells, triggering unrestrained growth and expansion.
The findings offer hope that the targets of ERG might now be open to identification, which in the future might lead to new drugs that shut down the proliferation of cancer cells.
Research Australia
Cancer Gene Current Events and Cancer Gene News RSSResearchers chart genomic map spanning over 2 dozen cancers
An international team of researchers has created a genome-scale map of 26 different cancers, revealing more than 100 genomic sites where DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated compared to normal tissues.
Sorting the drivers from the passengers in the cancer genome
A new study of mutations in cancer genomes shows how researchers can begin to distinguish the 'driver' mutations that push cells towards cancer from the 'passenger' mutations that are a by-product of cancer cell development.
Lung cancer and melanoma laid bare
Research teams led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute announce the first comprehensive analyses of cancer genomes.
Understanding DNA Repair and Cancer
A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found.
Mammography may increase breast cancer risk in some high-risk women
Low-dose radiation from annual mammography screening may increase breast cancer risk in women with genetic or familial predisposition to breast cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
New cancer gene discovered
A new cancer gene has been discovered by a research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The gene causes an insidious form of glandular cancer usually in the head and neck and in women also in the breast. The discovery could lead to quicker and better diagnosis and more effective treatment.
Newly Discovered Gene Fusion May Lead to Improved Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered a new gene fusion that is highly expressed in a subset of prostate cancers.
Wet ear wax and unpleasant body odors signal breast cancer risk
If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn't bad enough, a discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these cosmetic calamities.
Gene signature helps predict breast cancer prognosis
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers have uncovered a gene signature that may help predict clinical outcomes in certain types of breast cancer.
Reversing effects of altered enzyme may fight brain tumor growth
An international team of scientists from the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, the University of North Carolina and several institutions in China have explained how a gene alteration can lead to the development of a type of brain cancer, and they have identified a compound that could staunch the cancer's growth.
More Cancer Gene Current Events and Cancer Gene News Articles
 |
Genes, Development and Cancer: The Life and Work of Edward B. Lewis by Howard D. Lipshitz (Editor) Edward B. Lewis' science is the bridge linking experimental genetics as conducted in the first half of the twentieth century, and the powerful molecular genetic approaches that revolutionized the field in its last quarter. His Nobel Prize winning studies founded the field of developmental genetics and laid the groundwork for our current understanding of the universal, evolutionarily conserved strategies controlling animal development. A lesser-known aspect of Lewis' canon is the pioneering studies he carried out on ionizing radiation and human cancer. In doing so, he was propelled into a public storm over nuclear weapons testing policy. For the first time Lewis' key publications in the fields of genetics, developmental biology, radiation and cancer are compiled within one volume. ... |
 |
ABC News Nightline The "Breast Cancer Gene"/Neo-Nazism Spreading/Deeper Vocals The women in the Davis family have been plagued by breast cancer for three generations. Jennifer Davis decided to utilize new genetic tests to determine if the current generation will suffer from the killer as well. If they test positive, they have an 87% chance of developing breast cancer. What measures are they willing to take try to prevent the disease? Neo-Nazism and its members are using the Internet to draw recruits to their violent cause in Russia. Russian skinheads, who may be responsible for the deaths of about 50 individuals, film themselves beating up the immigrants that are flooding the post-Soviet nation. For women who swooned at the sight of sex symbol Barry White, it turns out it wasn't love, it was science. Correspondents: John Donvan, Dan Harris and Nick Watt ... |
|
SciEd In Search of the Cancer Gene; For 6 Gels (5 lanes each) with InstaStain Methylene Blue by Edvotek Classroom Kit, In Search of the Cancer Gene; Edvotek; For 6 Gels (5 lanes each) with InstaStain Methylene Blue | |
 |
Apron Strings: Inheriting Courage, Wisdom and . . . Breast Cancer by Diane Tropea Greene (Author) It was no coincidence. Apron Strings is the painful but courageous story of Diane Tropea Greene and her family, a family that was decimated by cancer. Diane later learned that her cancer was caused by the BRCA2 gene mutation for breast cancer, which affected both the women and men in Diane s family including Diane. But knowledge is power, and the lesson of the Tropea family is important for anyone who suspects their family has too many cancer diagnoses to be coincidental. |
|
Cancer Therapy by Intl Soc Gene Therapy Mole Bio | |
 |
Gilda's Disease: Sharing Personal Experiences and a Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer by M.D. M. Steven Piver (Author), Gene Wilder (Collaborator) The first book on ovarian cancer for the general reader, this is a comprehensive, compassionate look at a disease millions of people first became aware of with the tragic death of comedienne Gilda Radner in 1989. Dr. Piver, a leading cancer surgeon, discusses the causes of ovarian cancer, preventative measures, classic signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests and genetic screening, the different types of ovarian cancer, the four stages in the disease's progression, and the most effective treatments. Gene Wilder's intimate commentary, letters from Gilda's fans, and excerpts from her book, It's Always Something, bring a personal perspective to Dr. Piver's expert medical advice. This remarkable collaboration will help women feel more hopeful, and less scared and alone, when faced with... |
 |
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia AHCPR Clinical Practice Guideline/Tumor Suppressor Genes in Human Cancer (NCME Video 658) Also With: Network For Continuing Medical Education (Primary Contributor), John Wasson (Primary Contributor), Daniel A Haber (Primary Contributor) In February, 1994, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) released a clinical practice guideline dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. This telecourse presents highlights of that guideline. In the 1980's, the study of positive oncogenes was a major focus in the quest to understand the molecular origins of cancer. Today, tumor suppressor genes are sharing the spotlight and may exemplify an untapped resource for anticancer therapy. Dr. Haber demonstrates how recessive oncogenes, which normally control cell growth, allows cells to progress to malignancy when lost or inactivated. |
 |
Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes in Human Malignancies (Cancer Treatment and Research) by C.C. Benz (Editor), E.T. Liu (Editor) This volume begins by reviewing selected malignancies in which the search for clinically relevant oncogenes has led to more focused studies on gain-of-function and loss-of-function genetic abnormalities, as well as autocrine and paracrine growth factor loops known to regulate tumor physiology and malignant cell behavior. Many of these genetic and functional abnormalities are shared by several different tumor types and are not uniformly present in all tumors of the same type. This observation brings up molecular questions about the tissue-specific determinants that underlie individual cancers and also gives added impetus to the suggestion that molecular abnormalities (referred to as tumor markers) be included among the histopathologic features used for clinical diagnosis and... |
|
Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions by Dina Roth Port (Author) | |
|
Genes and the Biology of Cancer (Scientific American Library) by Harold Varmus (Author), Robert A. Weinberg (Author) During the search to find a cure for cancer a great deal about the rules that govern normal life has been discovered, specifically the reproduction and development of cells. These revelations and their contribution to the fight against cancer are the focus of this volume. The book shows how scientists have explored the questions of cancer by tracing carcinogenesis to its earliest detectable, submicroscopic stages. Drawing on classic and recent research findings, the authors explain how any one of many factors (including sunlight, radiation, tobacco and certain viral infections) can combine with existing predispositions to radically alter the genetic code, turning a normal gene into cancer-causing one. They describe what we know about the mechanisms of genes that seem to promote cancer... |
| © 2010 BrightSurf.com |