Science
Scientists study cancer suppressor gene
Cambridge, Mass. | January 26, 2007 12:01:13 AM IST
U.S. cancer specialists say they have found certain types of cancer can be pushed into regression by reactivating the tumor suppressor gene p53. In two papers appearing online in the journal Nature this week, researchers used genetic tricks to achieve their effects, lending support to the idea that p53-boosting drugs might be a useful form of cancer treatment. Although p53 is one of the most studied genes in cancer, researchers don't know whether established tumors can survive and progress if p53 is reactivated. In the most recent studies, groups led by Tyler Jacks of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Scott Lowe of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory show brief reactivation of endogenous p53 can cause a variety of cancers to completely regress in a handful of animal models. The researchers say the mechanism of regression appears tumor-specific. Jacks' team found lymphoma cells are coaxed to commit suicide, while sarcoma cells start to senesce. Lowe's team reported a novel mechanism in their liver carcinoma model in which senescence appeared linked to an innate immune response. The study is to appear in the journal's print issue at a later date. (UPI)
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