(Press-News.org) A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Manuel Serrano, from the Tumour Suppression Group, together with scientists from London and Santiago de Compostela, has discovered that the cellular reprogramming gene SOX2, which is involved in several types of cancers, such as lung cancer and pituitary cancer, is directly regulated by the tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene, which is also associated with these types of cancer.
The same edition of the online version of the journal also includes a study led by Massimo Squatrito, who recently joined the CNIO to direct the Seve Ballesteros Foundation Brain Tumour Group. This study, carried out in Eric C. Holland's laboratory, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), in Nueva York, shows the relationship between MEF, a gene regulator involved glioblastomas - the most aggressive and common brain tumours -, and SOX2.
YAMANAKA'S CELLULAR REPROGRAMMING CONTINUES TO SURPRISE
The cell reprogramming process, discovered by this year's Nobel Prize winner, Shinya Yamanaka, has become a powerful tool for researchers. Via the introduction of a cocktail of four genes into cells, among them SOX2, scientists can reprogram cells and transform them into stem cells which can be used to study a variety of processes, including cancer.
The research team led by Manuel Serrano and Manuel Collado was interested in the possible role of the tumour suppressor gene CDKN1B(p27) in reprogramming. During the course of these studies, Han Li, first author of the study, unexpectedly discovered that cells deficient in the CDKN1B(p27) gene could be reprogrammed without the need to introduce SOX2. This observation was the starting point to unravel the functional relationship between both genes.
The work led by Squatrito, in which the researcher Elena Bazzoli figures as first author, was based on earlier works that linked SOX2 with tumorigenesis. The article describes how SOX2 is regulated by MEF in cells of the nervous system. "Brain tumour cells acquire stem cell traits thanks to the participation of SOX2, and this produces an increase in tumorigenic potential" states Squatrito.
These new insights help to understand the origin of cancers linked to CDKN1B(p27) and MEF, and highlight the potential role of adult stem cells in cancer.
### Reference articles:
p27Kip1 directly represses Sox2 during embryonic stem cell differentiation. Han Li, Manuel Collado, Aranzazu Villasante, Ander Matheu, Cian J. Lynch, Marta Cañamero, Karine Rizzoti, Carmen Carneiro, Gloria Martínez, Anxo Vidal, Robin Lovell-Badge, Manuel Serrano. Cell Stem Cell (2012). doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2012.09.014
MEF Promotes Stemness in the Pathogenesis of Gliomas. Elena Bazzoli, Teodoro Pulvirenti, Moritz C. Oberstadt, Fabiana Perna, Boyoung Wee, Nikolaus Schultz, Jason T. Huse, Elena I. Fomchenko, Francesca Voza, Viviane Tabar, Cameron W. Brennan, Lisa M. DeAngelis, Stephen D. Nimer, Eric C. Holland, Massimo Squatrito. Cell Stem Cell (2012). doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2012.09.012
A relationship between cancer genes and the reprogramming gene SOX2 discovered
These studies shed new light on the molecular origin of pathologies associated with these genes, as well as the potential role of stem cells in tumorigenesis
2012-12-06
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study IDs gene that turns carbs into fat
2012-12-06
Berkeley — A gene that helps the body convert that big plate of holiday cookies you just polished off into fat could provide a new target for potential treatments for fatty liver disease, diabetes and obesity.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are unlocking the molecular mechanisms of how our body converts dietary carbohydrates into fat, and as part of that research, they found that a gene with the catchy name BAF60c contributes to fatty liver, or steatosis.
In the study, to be published online Dec. 6 in the journal Molecular Cell, the researchers ...
ACNP: Novel NMDA receptor modulator significantly reduces depression scores within hours
2012-12-06
HOLLYWOOD, FL and EVANSTON, IL, December 6, 2012 -- Naurex Inc., a clinical stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today reported positive results from a Phase IIa clinical trial of its lead antidepressant compound, GLYX-13. GLYX-13 is a novel partial agonist of the NMDA receptor. The Phase Ila results are being presented this week at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).
The Phase IIa results show that a single administration of GLYX-13 produced statistically significant ...
Research yields understanding of Darwin's 'abominable mystery'
2012-12-06
Research by Indiana University paleobotanist David L. Dilcher and colleagues in Europe sheds new light on what Charles Darwin famously called "an abominable mystery": the apparently sudden appearance and rapid spread of flowering plants in the fossil record.
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers present a scenario in which flowering plants, or angiosperms, evolved and colonized various types of aquatic environments over about 45 million years in the early to middle Cretaceous Period.
Dilcher is professor emeritus at IU Bloomington ...
Environmental chemical blocks cell function
2012-12-06
Bisphenol A, a substance found in many synthetic products, is considered to be harmful, particularly, for fetuses and babies. Researchers from the University of Bonn have now shown in experiments on cells from human and mouse tissue that this environmental chemical blocks calcium channels in cell membranes. Similar effects are elicited by drugs used to treat high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmia. The results are now presented in the journal "Molecular Pharmacology."
The industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is worldwide extensively utilized for manufacturing polycarbonates ...
New evidence for epigenetic effects of diet on healthy aging
2012-12-06
New research in human volunteers has shown that molecular changes to our genes, known as epigenetic marks, are driven mainly by ageing but are also affected by what we eat.
The study showed that whilst age had the biggest effects on these molecular changes, selenium and vitamin D status reduced the accumulation of epigenetic changes, and high blood folate and obesity increased them. These findings support the idea that healthy ageing is affected by what we eat.
Researchers from the Institute of Food Research led by Dr Nigel Belshaw, working with Prof John Mathers and ...
New understanding can lead to srategies for dealing with neurodegenerative diseases
2012-12-06
Jerusalem Dec. 6, 2012 – A new understanding of what takes place on the cellular level during the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS and Huntington's diseases, offers promise towards possible new strategies for combating such diseases, say Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers.
Neurodegenerative conditions result from an impairment of motor function or cognitive function or both. This impairment results from degeneration in the particular area of the brain responsible for those functions.
Although these neurodegenerative ...
'Releasing' people from Catholic guilt increases generosity towards church, research shows
2012-12-06
People who recall being absolved of their sins, are more likely to donate money to the church, according to research published today in the journal Religion, Brain and Behavior.
Researchers from Royal Holloway and the University of Oxford assigned participants two memory tasks. In the first, they were asked to privately recall a sin that they had committed in the past, while in the second, they recalled attending confession for this sin or imagined doing so, if they had not confessed in reality.
Each participant was also given an opportunity to donate to a local Catholic ...
My microbes
2012-12-06
We all have E.coli bacteria in our gut but each of us carries a version that is genetically slightly different. The same can be said of most gut microbes: our own gut metagenome, that is the sum of all the genomes of all our gut microbes, appears to be really specific to each of us, and to remain stable over time. For the first time, researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have studied this metagenome at such a high resolution that individual mutations in the various strains could be analysed. Their findings, published today in Nature, could have ...
Insight into DNA reprogramming during egg and sperm cell development
2012-12-06
Scientists at the Babraham Institute have gained a new understanding of when and how the DNA in developing egg and sperm cells is 'reset', in preparation for making a new embryo. It is well known that small chemical groups can be added to DNA to alter gene activity, these modifications to the DNA are acquired during development in the womb and throughout adult life and can arise from changes in environment. Most of these modifications are removed in immature egg and sperm cells to 'reset' the DNA and to erase any 'environmental memory', but some remain. Decoding this reprogramming ...
Cocktail boosts immune cells in fighting cancer
2012-12-06
Fighting cancer using the body's own defense system is a promising treatment approach. Immune therapies have even become clinical routine in treating a few cancers such as malignant melanoma and prostate cancer. Natural killer cells (or NK cells) are considered to be particularly suitable weapons against cancer. They are part of the innate immune system and respond to a wide range of cancer cells of diverse origin. Moreover, NK cells also kill tumor cells that have lost a specific target and go unnoticed by other immune cells.
"The big problem in using NK cells for therapy ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?
New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair
Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network
iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis
New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey
QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power
Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health
Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world
Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on
A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice
ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle
Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air
GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients
Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds
Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity
Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests
Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows
Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer
SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events
Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design
New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients
Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?
Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain
Decoding plants’ language of light
UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC
New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury
New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows
Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?
1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5
[Press-News.org] A relationship between cancer genes and the reprogramming gene SOX2 discoveredThese studies shed new light on the molecular origin of pathologies associated with these genes, as well as the potential role of stem cells in tumorigenesis