Lung cancer gene suppressor identified
Posted on: Tuesday, 6 January 2009, 20:22 CST
University of Cincinnati researchers say they've identified a tumor suppressor that may lead to new treatments for lung cancer.
Lead author Jorge Moscat said the research focused on specific cellular events that occur in Ras-induced tumor development to better understand the underlying biological mechanisms leading to cancer.
These interim steps are critical because they help us determine how best to intervene and stop cancer growth along the way,
Moscat, chair of UC's cancer and cell biology department, said in a release.
Ras is a proto-oncogenes that is expressed in up to 25 percent of human lung cancers, the report said.
Using a genetically modified mouse model, researchers found animals who didn't express the gene PKC-zeta developed more Ras-induced lung cancer, suggesting a new role for the gene as a tumor suppressor.
PKC-zeta would normally slow down Ras transformation and put the brakes on tumor development, but when PKC-zeta is missing or inactive as a result of genetic alterations, tumor growth actually accelerates,
Moscat said.
The findings are published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology..
Source: United Press International
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