Latest Oncogene Stories
TAU research uses the Ras protein to fight its own malign effectsOncogenes are genes that when mutated or expressed in high concentrations can cause normal cells to become cancerous. Now research from Tel Aviv University is demonstrating that Ras, one of the first oncogenes discovered, has the power to heal as well as harm.Ph.D. student Oded Rechavi and his fellow researchers at Tel Aviv University's Department of Neurobiology have found that Ras has the ability to transfer from cancer cells...
A new study uncovers a gene expression signature that reliably identifies cancer cells whose survival is dependent on a common signaling pathway, even when the cells contain multiple other genetic abnormalities. The research, published by Cell Press in the June 2nd issue of the journal Cancer Cell, identifies critical molecular vulnerabilities, thereby revealing promising therapeutic targets for a common and notoriously treatment resistant cancer.Although previous work has identified K-Ras as...
Mouse model findings indicate protein is new, important target for therapyOverexpression of PEA-15, which binds and drags an oncoprotein out of the cell nucleus where it fuels cancer growth, steeply reduced breast cancer tumors in a preclinical experiment, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported at the 100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.Human breast cancer grafts in mice dropped to nearly undetectable levels after 35 days...
A team of UCSF researchers has for the first time used tiny molecules called microRNAs to help turn adult mouse cells back to their embryonic state. These reprogrammed cells are pluripotent, meaning that, like embryonic stem cells, they have the capacity to become any cell type in the body.The findings suggest that scientists will soon be able to replace retroviruses and even genes currently used in laboratory experiments to induce pluripotency in adult cells. This would make potential stem...
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Cell Biosciences, Inc., a provider of nanoproteomic analysis systems to life science researchers, today announced the launch of its first kits for the analysis of specific oncoproteins on the Firefly(TM) 3000 Protein Analysis System. The new kits are optimized for characterization of proteins in the MEK and ERK families, which play critical roles in cancer cell survival and proliferation. Drug developers have targeted signaling via MEK and ERK...
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...
Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer.The study, led by Jorge Moscat, PhD, appears in the January 2009 issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology.Proto-oncogenes are genes that play a role in normal cell growth (turnover of cells and tissue) but, when genetically modified, can cause the out-of-control cell division that leads to cancer....
A protein naturally produced and secreted by the body can make the difference between your average mole and melanoma, which killed more than 8,000 people in the United States last year, reveals a new study in the February 8 issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. If this natural anti-cancer agent, called IGFBP7, can be produced and delivered to tumors, it might serve as a targeted chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma, a condition which is "basically untreatable"...
Scientists have uncovered an unexpected functional link between a phosphatase known to act as a tumor suppressor and BCR/ABL, a kinase that is intimately linked with cancer development and progression in specific forms of leukemia. The study, published in the November issue of Cancer Cell, provides fresh insight into the molecular mechanisms that are involved in induction and progression of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and suggests a new strategy that may be an effective therapy for...
The Quaking gene, first described as a mutation in mice that causes rapid tremor, is thought to suppress tumor formation and protect humans from cancer. Now, a team of researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin has shown that the Quaking gene likely suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting production of a protein associated with GLI1, a cancer-causing oncogene highly associated with severe birth defects and several childhood cancers. The group's study, published in...
