Brown cancer biologists identify major player in cell growth
When cells go about the business of dividing, they can get sidelined. Maybe there aren’t enough nutrients. Maybe there aren’t the right signals to resume multiplying. Either way, cells go quiet.
What can restart cell division–the process that drives the development of embryos, the renewal of hair, skin and blood, and the creation of cancer–is a single transcription factor called GABP, according to new research from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital.
The work, published online in Nature Cell Biology, introduces a new pathway that can be manipulated to control cell growth. Since cell growth is a fundamental biological process, the research may shed light on everything from miscarriages to muscular dystrophy. The main application, however, is cancer. Since a key characteristic of cancer cells is unchecked growth, the research identifies potential targets for new treatments.
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