New Cancer Gene Discovered
May 9, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
Researchers at the Oklahoma University Cancer Institute have identified a new gene that causes cancer.
The gene and its protein, both called RBM3, are vital for cell division in normal cells. In cancer cells, low oxygen levels in the tumors cause the amount of RBM3 to go up dramatically, leading to uncontrolled cell division, in turn leading to more tumors. They found RBM3 protein in every stage of many cancers, and the amount of protein increased as the cancer grew.
When they genetically “silenced” the protein–thus reducing the level of RBM3 in cancerous cells–the cancer cells stopped growing and died. They tested this technique on several types of cancers, including breast, pancreas, colon, lung, ovarian and prostate, showing that targeting RBM3 may a useful tool against many types of solid tumors.
