Researchers define tumor invasion machinery orchestrated by a master cancer gene
Researchers investigated how cancer genes lead to the breakdown of the capsule that prevents cancerous cells from invading the surrounding healthy tissues and - find a hijacked molecular crowbar . The new findings help understand the mechanisms of cancer spreading and reveal a cancer vulnerability.
Researchers at the University of Helsinki have defined a cancer invasion machinery, which is orchestrated by a frequently mutated cancer gene called Ras. When signaling from Ras protein becomes abnormally high, like it does in many cancers, this switches on the cellular machinery that helps the cancer cells to depart from the tissue from which the cells have developed.