Researchers identify DNA repair enzyme as a potential brain cancer drug target
Rapidly dividing cells rely on an enzyme called Dicer to help them repair the DNA damage that occurs as they make mistakes in copying their genetic material over and over for new cells. UNC Lineberger...
View ArticleHow a tumor suppressor gene and chromosome-protecting proteins work together...
When it comes to genes associated with cancer, none have been studied more extensively than p53, a tumor suppressor gene that serves as the guardian of our genetic information. More than half of all...
View ArticleToward a better understanding of the mechanisms blocking cancer cell growth
DNA damage can lead to gene inactivation or deregulation and cause various diseases such as cancer; however, many DNA repair mechanisms allow cells to survive against such damage. A study lead by...
View ArticleResearchers identify way radiation may fight cancer cells escaping immune system
A team of Georgia State University researchers is fighting cancers using a combination of therapies and recently found ways that radiation could maximize responses to novel immune-based therapeutic...
View ArticleResearchers making progress on understanding why people lose their hair as...
(Medical Xpress)—Two groups of researchers working on two different projects have made inroads into understanding the cause of alopecia—the gradual loss of hair during aging. One team, with members...
View ArticleGene switch may repair DNA and prevent cancer
A team of scientists in Japan has found that a DNA modification called 5hmC – thought to be involved in turning genes on and off – localizes at sites of DNA damage and repair. They also found that a...
View ArticleBreakable genes may promote disease and brain cell diversity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have identified 27 genes in brain stem cells that are prone to a type of DNA damage. The fragility of those genes could explain why they are often...
View ArticleAdenovirus dampens host DNA damage response—implications for control and...
Adenoviruses (Ad) are everywhere, and while they pose limited threat in individuals with healthy immune systems, they cause significant disease burden in immunocompromised patients. A study published...
View ArticleSynthetic plant hormones shut down DNA repair in cancer cells
Two drugs that mimic a common plant hormone effectively cause DNA damage and turn off a major DNA repair mechanism, suggesting their potential use as an anti-cancer therapy, say investigators at...
View ArticleNew study may lead to improved treatment of type 2 diabetes
Worldwide, 400 million people live with diabetes, with rapid increases projected. Patients with diabetes mostly fall into one of two categories, type 1 diabetics, triggered by autoimmunity at a young...
View ArticleCancer cells show resilient nuclear rupture repair, but expose weakness in...
As different cells penetrate through tight, confining spaces within tissue, they often deform, causing their nuclei to rupture under the associated stress. A new study led by Cornell University...
View ArticleMice engineered with rare kidney disease shed light on how cells repair...
Like jewels in a vault, our precious genetic material is stored in the nucleus of a cell—sequestered away from potentially damaging cellular components and toxins so that no harm can come to it. Yet...
View ArticleAllergies induced by dust mites can harm DNA in lung cells
House dust mites, which are a major source of allergens in house dust, can cause asthma in adults and children. Researchers from MIT and the National University of Singapore have now found that these...
View ArticleBlocking apoptotic response could preserve fertility in women receiving...
Female cancer patients of reproductive age could preserve their fertility during radiation and chemotherapy through treatments that target the DNA damage response in oocytes (the cells that develop...
View ArticleCancer cell growth linked to nervous system in study
Cancer cells divide with more frequency and are more resilient when they are closer to the brain, indicating a potential link between cell growth and the nervous system, according to new research from...
View ArticleCisplatin may cause more permanent hearing loss in people with Cockayne syndrome
The chemotherapy drug cisplatin can kill cancer, but it can also cause permanent hearing loss.
View ArticleMay repairs full of mistakes develop into cancer?
A group of researchers at Osaka University found that if DNA damage response (DDR) does not work when DNA is damaged by radiation, proteins which should be removed remain instead, and a loss of genetic...
View ArticleCancer-preventing protein finds its own way in our DNA
Geneticists from KU Leuven, Belgium, have shown that tumour protein TP53 knows exactly where to bind to our DNA to prevent cancer. Once bound to this specific DNA sequence, the protein can activate the...
View ArticleSmoking may have negative effects on sperm quality
A recent study found that that sperm of men who smoke has a greater extent of DNA damage than that of non-smokers.
View ArticleNew knowledge about DNA repair can be turned into cancer inhibitors
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a molecular mechanism that reads so-called epigenetic information and boosts repair of lesions in our DNA. This knowledge can be used to...
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