PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Melanoma-promoting gene discovered

2012-07-11
(Press-News.org) This press release is available in German.

Black skin cancer, also known as melanoma, is particularly aggressive and becoming increasingly common in Switzerland. Despite intensive research, however, there is still no treatment. Researchers from the University of Zurich have now discovered a gene that plays a central role in black skin cancer. Suppressing this gene in mice inhibits the development of melanoma and its proliferation – a discovery that could pave the way for new forms of therapy.

Until recently, it was assumed that a tumor was composed of many equivalent cells that all multiply malignantly and can thus contribute towards tumor growth. According to a more recent hypothesis, however, a tumor might also consist of malignant cancer stem cells and other less aggressive tumor cells. Normally, stem cells are responsible for the formation of organs. Cancer stem cells can divide in a very similar way and develop into other tumor cells to form the tumor. Efficient tumor therapy thus primarily needs to fight cancer stem cells. Consequently, a team of stem-cell researchers from the University of Zurich headed by Professor Sommer decided to find out whether mechanisms that are important for normal stem cells also play a role in cancer stem cells.

Regulating gene discovered in tumor

Melanoma cells are rogue skin-pigment cells formed by so-called neural crest stem cells during embryonic development. Professor Sommer's group teamed up with dermatologists and pathologists to investigate whether cells with characteristics of these specific stem cells are present in human tumor tissue. "This was indeed the case, as we were able to prove based on numerous biopsies performed on melanoma patients," says Sommer. In particular, one gene that effectively controls the stem-cell program was highly active in all the tumor tissue studied. This gene, which is known as "Sox10", is essential for cell division and the survival of stem cells.

Gene suppression inhibits cancer

The next step for the Zurich researchers was to test how Sox10 works in human melanoma cells. They determined that the gene also controls a stem-cell program in cancer cells and is necessary for cell division. In order to corroborate these findings in a living organism, the researchers ultimately used a mouse which carried similar genetic mutations to those found in human melanoma and thus developed black skin cancer spontaneously. Astonishingly, the suppression of Sox10 in this animal model completely inhibited the formation and spread of cancer.

"Our research demonstrates that a tumor could probably be treated by attacking its stem cells," concludes Sommer. The results also illustrate that such studies can primarily be successful through the close collaboration and conscious use of synergies between basic researchers and clinicians.

INFORMATION:


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The magnetic sense

2012-07-11
Migratory birds and fish use the Earth's magnetic field to find their way. LMU researchers have now identified cells with internal compass needles for the perception of the field – and can explain why high-tension cables perturb the magnetic orientation. Although many animal species can sense the geomagnetic field and exploit it for spatial orientation, efforts to pinpoint the cells that detect the field and convert the information into nerve impulses have so far failed. "The field penetrates the whole organism, so such cells could be located almost anywhere, making them ...

Rare glimpse into the origin of species

2012-07-11
A new species of monkey flower, created by the union of two foreign plant species, has been discovered on the bank of a stream in Scotland. Genetic changes in this attractive yellow-flowered hybrid have allowed it to overcome infertility and made it a rare example of a brand new species that has originated in the wild in the last 150 years. Thousands of wild species and some crops are thought to have originated in this way, yet only a handful of examples exist where this type of species formation has occurred in recent history. The ancestors of the new plant were brought ...

Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center gain new insights into Taspase1 function

2012-07-11
Scientists at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany identified a novel strategy to target the oncologically relevant protein-cleaving enzyme Taspase1. Taspase1 levels are not only elevated in cancer cells of patients with head and neck tumors and other solid malignancies but the enzyme is also critical for the development of leukemias. Central to this concept is the approach to inhibit the enzyme's activity by 'gluing together' individual Taspase1 molecules. The results of a study undertaken by Professor Dr. Roland Stauber of the ...

Preclinical studies use specialized ultrasound to detect presence of cancer

2012-07-11
From the air, the twists and turns of rivers can easily be seen. In the body, however, tracing the twists and turns of blood vessels is difficult, but important. Vessel "bendiness" can indicate the presence and progression of cancer. This principle led UNC scientists to a new method of using a high-resolution ultrasound to identify early tumors in preclinical studies. The method, based on vessel bendiness or "tortuosity," potentially offers an inexpensive, non-invasive and fast method to detect cancer that could someday help doctors identify cancers when tumors are ...

Nutrient mixture improves memory in patients with early Alzheimer's

2012-07-11
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A clinical trial of an Alzheimer's disease treatment developed at MIT has found that the nutrient cocktail can improve memory in patients with early Alzheimer's. The results confirm and expand the findings of an earlier trial of the nutritional supplement, which is designed to promote new connections between brain cells. Alzheimer's patients gradually lose those connections, known as synapses, leading to memory loss and other cognitive impairments. The supplement mixture, known as Souvenaid, appears to stimulate growth of new synapses, says Richard Wurtman, ...

First-of-its-kind approach nanomedicine design effectively targets cancer with decreased toxicity

2012-07-11
BOSTON, MA—Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report a new approach that integrates rational drug design with supramolecular nanochemistry in cancer treatment. Supramolecular chemistry is the development of complex chemical systems using molecular building blocks. The researchers utilized such methods to create nanoparticles that significantly enhanced antitumor activity with decreased toxicity in breast and ovarian cancer models. "This work is effectively moving beyond using nanotechnology as drug 'delivery' vehicles to reengineering ...

Mapping out growth for the UK space sector: UK Space Agency publishes its Civil Space Strategy

2012-07-11
The 'Civil Space Strategy' setting out the direction for the UK space sector over the next four years has been launched today, Tuesday 10th July, at the Farnborough International Airshow. The Strategy sets out the UK Space Agency's framework supporting the growth of the sector over the next four years. The Civil Space Strategy was formally launched by the Minister for Universities and Science to the international space community, gathered for Space Day at Farnborough. David Willetts discussed the Strategy in his speech to the Space Conference as well as revealing the ...

Doctors overlook chemical illnesses, study finds

2012-07-11
SAN ANTONIO (July 10, 2012) — Chemical intolerance contributes to the illnesses of 1 in 5 patients but the condition seldom figures in their diagnosis, according to clinical research directed by a UT Medicine San Antonio physician. Clinical tools are available to identify chemical intolerance but health care practitioners may not be using them, lead author David Katerndahl, M.D., M.A., said. The study is in the July 9 issue of Annals of Family Medicine. UT Medicine is the clinical practice of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San ...

Interactive personal health records increase clinical preventive services

2012-07-11
Richmond, Va. (July 9, 2012) – Patients who use an interactive personal health record (IPHR) are almost twice as likely to be up to date with clinical preventive services as those who do not, according to a new study led by Alex Krist, M.D., M.P.H., research member of the Cancer Prevention and Control program at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Published today in the journal Annals of Family Medicine, the randomized controlled trial involved eight primary care practices and 4,500 patients. The patients were divided into a control group and an intervention ...

Rising carbon dioxide in atmosphere also speeds carbon loss from forest soils, IU-led research finds

2012-07-11
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide accelerate carbon cycling and soil carbon loss in forests, new research led by an Indiana University biologist has found. The new evidence supports an emerging view that although forests remove a substantial amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, much of the carbon is being stored in living woody biomass rather than as dead organic matter in soils. Richard P. Phillips, lead author on the paper and an assistant professor of biology in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, said that after nearly ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Be Well Texas at UT Health San Antonio to lead major statewide expansion of opioid use disorder and recovery services

Freshwater fish, too, attracted to artificial root structures

In hard-to-treat form of tuberculosis, shorter, gentler therapy shows unequal benefit

Warming oceans a turn-off for female Critically Endangered sharks

University of Surrey launches Space Institute to drive the UK's small satellite boom and tackle urgent global challenges

Look to the data, not the marketing: Turfgrass research shows no differences in ‘penetrant’ and ‘retainer’ wetting agents

New organ recovery technique could make more heart transplants available

NCSA supporting Georgia Tech in new AI venture

Revised, more accurate Baltic ringed seal count – Hunting slows population growth

Eight babies born after Mitochondrial Donation treatment to reduce transmission of mitochondrial DNA disease

Music may reduce distress for dementia patients

The American Ornithological Society announces its 2025 research grantees

Fetal exposure to vape liquids linked to changes in skull shape

Did a meteor impact trigger a landslide in the Grand Canyon?

Study suggests some maternal HIV infections may be missed during pregnancy

Bacterial genomes hold clues for creating personalized probiotics

Rice University scientists discover way to engineer stronger soft devices through smarter silicone bonding

Innovation Crossroads welcomes six entrepreneurs for Cohort 2025

Researchers explore ways to better safeguard romaine supply

Spider’s visual trickery can fool AI

During pregnancy, are newer antiseizure medications safer than older drugs?

Do race and ethnicity play a role in a person’s risk of peripheral neuropathy?

Older adults who increased their regular walking pace by just 14 steps per minute were more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in a test of aerobic capacity and walking endurance

For adults with hearing loss, linear amplification (amplification across all sound levels, available with some hearing aids) might restore their ability to recognize emotion in voices

Self-reporting climate anxiety in the United States is linked to being young, female, believing climate change will impact you personally, and more frequent media and community discussions around clim

A “silent epidemic” of stimulant use is shadowing the most recent opioid epidemic

Food insecurity causes anxiety and depression

New approach to kidney transplant matching could lead to better long-term outcomes

The patterns of elites who conceal their assets offshore

Elephant robot demonstrates bioinspired 3D printing technology

[Press-News.org] Melanoma-promoting gene discovered