Some brain tumors mimic the genetic program of germline cells

	Tweet

Scientists at IRB Barcelona have discovered that some brain tumours in larvae of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster use the genetic programme of germline cells to grow. The removal of some of these genes leads to healthy brains. This finding demonstrates that these genes are crucial for tumour development. The study, headed by ICREA researcher Cayetano González, is published today in the prestigious journal Science.

One of the characteristics of tumour cells is their immortality, a property that allows them to divide without obeying external signals. As a result, tissue masses form, which, in most cases, interfere with organ functions. Data collected in recent years reveal than many human tumours activate specific genes of the germinal cell line – those specialized in spermatozoids or ovules -, which is thought to allow them greater and longer viability. However, the role of these genes in tumour development remains to be established. In this study, the scientists showed for the first time that silencing some of these genes leads to the disappearance of tumours in the brain of the fruit fly.

Global analysis of gene expression in tumours

Not all cells use the same genes, but they make use of them depending on the function to be performed.

This gene activation profile is what determines how cells divide and what they become specialized in, in the case they have not already done so. In this study the researchers have used DNA chip technology to monitor this gene activity in tumour cells and have compared it with healthy cells. For this purpose, they have analysed brain tumours induced by an alteration in the gene l[3]mbt in fruit fly larvae.

Analysis of the gene expression profiles indicates that these tumour cells activate a total of 102 genes that are not activated in healthy cells. When the researchers examined the functions of these genes they observed that, in many cases, they were unknown, although 25% of them were responsible for functions related to germline cells. “These results show that these tumours mimic the gene expression profiles of germline cells”, explains Ana Janic, first author of the study and PhD student in González’s lab.

Germline genes contribute to tumour growth

When the scientists studied the possible role of these specific genes of the germinal cell line in tumour expansion, they observed that by the silencing four lead to the development of healthy brains. “These experiments demonstrate that these genes are crucial for the development of this kind of tumour”, states Janic.

Data collected over the last ten years indicate that the cancer cells of some tumours, such as melanomas and some kinds of carcinoma, activate genes of the germinal cell line. One possible diagnostic approach derived from these studies would be to use some of the proteins produced by these genes as tumour cell markers. In this context, the use of these proteins to make cancer vaccines is of particular relevance. This study sheds new light on the role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of cancer and opens up the way for new lines of research for the development of treatment against this disease in humans.

###

Reference article: Ectopic expression of germline genes drives malignant brain tumor growth in Drosophila. Janic A, Mendizabal L, Llamazares S, Rossell D, Gonzalez C. Science (2010) [doi: 10.1126/science.1195481]

###

Contact: Nuria Noriega

Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)

RELATED STORIES:
HPV’s Link to Head and Neck Cancer Investigated at Vanderbilt-Ingram   Genetic abnormality offers diagnostic hope for children’s cancer   BNCT, a new-generation radiation treatment, is effective in advanced head and neck cancer   Enhanced treatment of brain tumors   Blood Pressure Compound May Benefit Brain Tumor Patients   Radiotherapy Advance Builds Hope for Noninvasive Brain Cancer Treatment   ‘Timing is everything’ in ensuring healthy brain development   Protein Aurora-A is found to be associated with survival in head and neck cancer   IMRT improves outcomes in patients with extranodal lymphoma of the head and neck   Gene therapy increases survival for end-stage head and neck cancer   Fruit, veggies may lower head and neck cancer risk   High dosage brachytherapy obtains excellent results in head and neck tumors   Signaling System Found that Halts the Growth of a Childhood Brain Cancer   Some brain tumors mimic the genetic program of germline cells   Dana-Farber Hosting Live Twitter Chat on Head and Neck Cancers   UCSD First to Treat Brain Cancer with Viral Vector   Combining CT, FDG-PET provides more accurate treatments for head and neck cancer patients   First animal model that mimics human head and neck cancer   Cause and treatment for aggressive head and neck cancer may have been found   Disparities among patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcomas   News from Cancer: Disparities in head and neck cancer patients   Sensitizing tumor response to cancer therapy

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]