New gene discovered for Brain Cancer
Source: Science Daily
Researchers have found out a new 'gateway' gene which promotes the proliferation of brain cancer cells. The protein called 'olig2' was found to be responsible for this function and knocking it out almost completely eliminated tumour formation.
Olig 2 is a transcription factor which plays a central role in stimulating neural stem cells to form the specialised brain cells during embryonic brain development. Brain tumours arise because of cell division of the mutated stem cells or the improperly differentiated progenitor cells.
Research showed that olig2 brought about cell growth in both normal stem cells and the malignant tumour cells. Specifically, they also found out that olig2 disrupts a protein P21 which is responsible for inhibiting cell growth.
Hence researchers have concluded that olig 2 is a "unifying factor" between normal cells and the malignant cells. Hence they say that olig 2 could be a target for developing drugs for brain tumour development.
But how they will inhibit olig2 without disturbing its functions on the normal neural stem cells is something that they'll have to answer...
Researchers have found out a new 'gateway' gene which promotes the proliferation of brain cancer cells. The protein called 'olig2' was found to be responsible for this function and knocking it out almost completely eliminated tumour formation.
Olig 2 is a transcription factor which plays a central role in stimulating neural stem cells to form the specialised brain cells during embryonic brain development. Brain tumours arise because of cell division of the mutated stem cells or the improperly differentiated progenitor cells.
Research showed that olig2 brought about cell growth in both normal stem cells and the malignant tumour cells. Specifically, they also found out that olig2 disrupts a protein P21 which is responsible for inhibiting cell growth.
Hence researchers have concluded that olig 2 is a "unifying factor" between normal cells and the malignant cells. Hence they say that olig 2 could be a target for developing drugs for brain tumour development.
But how they will inhibit olig2 without disturbing its functions on the normal neural stem cells is something that they'll have to answer...
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