Cooperation Response Genes Trigger Cancer Cell Transformation

Cancer researchers have identified a group of genes that cooperate to trigger cancer cell transformation after a mutation has caused inactivation of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene or overexpression of the Ras gene.

Investigators at the University of Rochester (New York, USA) screened more than 30,000 cellular genes before identifying a group of 100 that responded synergistically to the combination of two of the most prevalent cancer genes, Ras and p53, and were expressed differently in normal and cancer cells. They labeled this group of genes "cooperation response genes” or CRGs.

Further findings published in the May 25, 2008, online edition of the journal Nature revealed that 14 of 24 CRGs were essential to tumor formation. In contrast, only one of 14 genes responding in a non-synergistic manner (non-CRGs) had a similar effect.
"CRGs may provide us with a surprisingly large and valuable set of targets for interventions that will destroy cancer cells and leave normal cells unharmed,” said senior author Dr. Hartmut Land, professor of biomedical genetics at the University of Rochester. "We are very excited with the results. We believe that we have found a cornerstone for development of new treatments that ultimately will allow selection of drugs and drug combinations from a pool of compounds directed against these new genes. However, much more work needs to be done to explore how our findings may lead to successful targeting of various cancer types and cancer stem cells.”


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