Researchers identify long-sought enzyme that prevents cancer
Researchers have found a long-sought enzyme that prevents cancer by enabling the breakdown of proteins that drive cell growth, and that causes cancer when disabled.
Publishing online in
Nature on April 14, the new study revolves around the ability of each human cell to divide in two, with this process repeating itself until a single cell (the fertilized egg) becomes a body with trillions of cells. For each division, a cell must follow certain steps, most of which are promoted by proteins called cyclins.
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the work revealed that an enzyme called AMBRA1 labels a key class of cyclins for destruction by cellular machines that break down proteins. The work finds that the enzyme s control of cyclins is essential for proper cell growth during embryonic development, and that its malfunction causes lethal cell overgrowth. Moreover, the study further suggests that an existing
Credits: Image: Jennifer Cook-Chrysos/Whitehead Institute
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Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organisms’ DNA. While the system could potentially be useful in treating a variety of diseases, CRISPR-Cas9 editing involves cutting DNA strands, leading to permanent changes to the cell’s genetic material.
Now, in a paper published online in
Cell on April 9, researchers describe a new gene editing technology called CRISPRoff that allows researchers to control gene expression with high specificity while leaving the sequence of the DNA unchanged. Designed by Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman, University of California San Francisco Assistant Professor Luke Gilbert, Weissman lab postdoc James Nuñez, and collaborators, the method is stable enough to be inherited through hundreds of cell divisions, and is
Protein Found to Control Drivers of Normal Growth and Cancer
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NEW YORK, April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Researchers have found a long-sought enzyme that prevents cancer by enabling the breakdown of proteins that drive cell growth, and that causes cancer when disabled.
Publishing online in Nature on April 14, the new study revolves around the ability of each human cell to divide in two, with this process repeating itself until a single cell (the fertilized egg) becomes a body with trillions of cells. For each division, a cell must follow certain steps, most of which are promoted by proteins called cyclins.
Protein found to control drivers of normal growth and cancer eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers have described a new gene-editing technology called CRISPRoff that allows researchers to control gene expression with high specificity while leaving the sequence of the DNA unchanged. The method is stable enough to be inherited through hundreds of cell divisions, and is also fully reversible.