Scientists Crack Gene Code Of Breast And Colon Cancers

US scientists have cracked the entire genetic code of breast and colon cancers, offering new treatment hopes, reports BBC News. The genetic map shows that nearly 200 mutated genes, mostly previously unknown, help tumours emerge, grow and spread.

The discovery could also lead to better ways to diagnose cancer in it's early, most treatable stages, and personalized treatments, Science reports.

The John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say the findings suggest cancer is more complex than experts had believed.

The mutated genes in breast and colon cancers were almost completely distinct, suggesting very different pathways for the development of each of these cancer types.

Each individual tumour appeared to have a different genetic blueprint, which could explain why cancers can behave very differently from person to person, the scientists said.

Now researchers will study how these mutations occur in colon and breast cancers.

Previous cancer gene discoveries have already led to successful detection and treatment strategies.

For example, the breast cancer drug Herceptin targets a breast cancer cell receptor made by the Her2-neu gene. Blood tests for hereditary bowel cancer are based on the APC gene.

Anna Barker of the National Cancer Institute said, "Maximising the numbers of targets available for drug development in a specific cancer means that patients will ultimately receive more personalized, less toxic therapies."

Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK, said," This is potentially a very important piece of research. Most of the cancer genes identified in this study have not been previously linked to cancer. These newly identified genes could provide rich hunting grounds for scientists looking for new ways of treating or detecting cancers. In the future, scientists hope to be able to tailor plans for preventing or treating cancer to each person's individual genetic profile. Studies like this can help us to accomplish this goal."

Reduced Risk Of Heart Attack In Healthy Men Who Drink Moderately

Even healthy men may benefit from a drink or two daily to help lower the risk of heart attack, medical researchers reported on Monday. "Our results suggest that moderate drinking could be viewed as a complement, rather than an alternative, to lifestyle interventions such as regular physical activity, weight loss and giving up smoking," said the study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston. The apparent protective effect may be that alcohol appears to raise the level of so-called "good" cholesterol in the bloodstream. Between 1986 and 2002, 106 of the study sample of 1282 drinkers had heart attacks, including eight who downed two drinks daily, compared to 28 of a sample of 1889 men who did not drink at all.

Parts Of Cell Nuclei Are Not Arranged At Random, Scientists Prove

The nucleus of a mammal cell is made up of component parts arranged in a pattern which can be predicted statistically, says new research published today. Scientists hope this discovery that parts of the inside of a cell nucleus are not arranged at random will give greater insight into how cells work and could eventually lead to a greater understanding of how they become dysfunctional in diseases like cancer.

The study, published today in PLoS Computational Biology, involved systems biologists working together with mathematicians to identify, for the first time, 'spatial relationships' governing the distribution of an important control protein in the nucleus, in relation to other components within the nuclei of mammal cells.

This widespread protein called CBP acts on certain genes within the cell nucleus, turning them on to make specific proteins at different times throughout the life of the cell. The research began with a team of biologists in Canada labelling components inside cell nuclei with fluorescent dyes, which enabled them to identify concentrated pockets of CBP. However the pattern seen under the microscope is very complex. When the 'nearest neighbours' of the CPB pockets, such as gene regions and other protein machinery are visualised, the spatial relationships become too difficult to define.

To overcome this, the mathematicians involved in the research analysed the nearest neighbour distance measurements between the nuclei's components, and developed a toolkit for showing where other proteins and gene regions are likely to be located in relation to CBP across the nucleus. Specifically, they were able to develop a model for showing which components were more likely to be located closest to a CBP pocket, and those that were less likely. This effectively created a probability map of the nucleus, with components' locations derived relative to the location of concentrations of CBP.

Professor Paul Freemont from Imperial College London's Division of Molecular Biosciences one of the leaders of the research said: "We chose to focus on CBP because it is a well established gene regulator that activates genes by altering their local structure to allow the production of the specific proteins encoded by the genes. By using fluorescent dyes and sophisticated imaging techniques, we discovered that CBP pockets are more likely to be located closest to gene regions with which it is known to modify. This research is very important as it advances our understanding of how the cell nucleus is organised, although it leaves us with a 'chicken-or-egg' question to answer: is CBP located close to certain gene regions because they are active or does the location of CBP result in the activation of these genes?"

By developing these quantitative approaches and applying them more broadly, biologists will in the future be able to have complete spatial models for cells that not only define where things are but also the likelihood of them being in a particular location at a particular time. This will allow a deeper understanding of how cells are organised and will be of particular importance in understanding and predicting cells whose structure becomes altered as a first sign of disease such as cancer.

Professor Freemont added: "This research is groundbreaking in the field of systems biology because we're working with mathematicians to provide a solid statistical framework to explain aspects of how the cell nucleus is organised."

Potential New Therapeutic Target For Asthma, Allergies And Cancer

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified how a bioactive molecule involved with allergy, inflammation and cancer is transported out of mast cells, according to findings published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mast cells are specialized cells that react to allergy-causing agents by releasing substances that trigger the body's allergic response, leading to conditions like asthma and hives. Among the molecules released by mast cells that participate in the allergic response is sphingosine-1-phosphate. This molecule is also implicated in cancer.

The work by the VCU investigators opens up a new approach to treating asthma, which affects about 15 million Americans and is increasing in incidence and mortality, especially among African-Americans. It also has implications for other allergic disorders and for cancer in terms of developing drugs that inhibit the transport of SIP out of cells.

Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., professor and chair, VCU Department of Biochemistry, and colleagues reported how S1P, which also regulates many important physiological functions in cells, is transported out of mast cells. S1P is produced by all cells and secreted by some cells into the circulation where it can bind to specific S1P receptors. Until now, researchers have not known the mechanism by which S1P is transported out of cells.

"Our study shows that mast cells can use a special kind of transporter that has long been known to be used by cancer cells to push anti-cancer drugs out and help them survive the treatment," said Spiegel. "Our study is the first to establish a mechanism by which S1P can be exported out of mast cells and perhaps by cancer cells as well."

In previous research, Spiegel's team found that S1P levels are significantly elevated in fluid collected from the lungs of asthmatic patients after exposure to an allergen. Those findings led Spiegel's team to believe that mast cells could be a source of S1P. Mast cells are found in all body tissues and rapidly produce and secrete a number of inflammatory substances such as histamine and S1P when activated by an inflammatory stimulus. Spiegel said that S1P in turn amplifies allergic and inflammatory responses. Therefore, S1P secreted from mast cells can orchestrate many allergic responses, including asthma.