Word: suppressor
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Nathan said that her research in cancer genetics indicated that cancer may result from a loss of tumor suppressor genes instead of higher "oncogenetic" activity...
...realize, is a genetic disease. It is caused by multiple mutations in the genes that control cell division, the process through which a cell makes a copy of itself by splitting in two. Some of these genes, known as oncogenes, stimulate cell division, while still others, called tumor-suppressor genes, damp it down. In their normal form, both types of genes work together, enabling the body to replace dead cells and repair damaged ones. But mutations in these genes--whether inherited or acquired through environmental insult--very quickly cause a cell to careen out of control, like a car with...
...tumor-suppressor gene p53 is often described as "the guardian of the genome" because it keeps watch over DNA during cell division. When damage occurs, p53 commands other genes to bring cell division to a halt. If repairs are made, then p53 allows the cell cycle to continue. But in some cases, if the damage is too serious to be patched, p53 activates other genes that cause the cell to self-destruct. Mutations in p53, which have been detected in more than 50% of all human cancers, are thus extremely dangerous. In laboratory cultures, some cancer cells that possess mutant...
...subject of some 1,000 scientific papers in 1993 alone, was considered the most important cancer gene. The journal Science even named it Molecule of the Year. But now there is a new contender for notoriety -- MTS1, as Alexander Kamb and his colleagues refer to the multiple tumor- suppressor gene they have just discovered. "Multiple" refers to the fact that defects in this gene can cause many kinds of cancer, including melanoma, lung, breast and brain tumors. In fact, functional copies of MTS1 may be missing in more than 50% of all human cancers...
...protein made by the MTS1 gene seems exceptionally promising, for it has characteristics suggesting it may be easily fashioned into a drug, which then might be able to stop tumor cells in their tracks. "In terms of therapeutic potential," declares Kamb, "MTS1 may be the most important tumor-suppressor gene yet discovered...