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“CANCER-LINKED FAM190A GENE FOUND TO REGULATE CELL DIVISIÓN” AND “CRITICAL

PATHWAY IN CELL CYCLE MAY LEAD TO CANCER DEVELOPMENT”

 

 

Kelly Marisancén CarrasquillaMedicine student

III Semester

Molecular biology

Introduction

Both  news  are  about  the relation between cell cycle,  the process,  molecules  involved and  control  regulation  with  an important disease: cancer.

Cancer-Linked FAM190A Gene Found to Regulate Cell Division

(July 3, 2013)

 

Cancer-Linked FAM190A Gene Found to Regulate Cell Division

(July 3, 2013)

FAM190A is a gene related with cell cycle, especially with the cell division. Knocking down the expression of this gene alter the normal process of mitosis.

Image take from: www.bio.miami.edu

In this case, cells try to divide and seems that they do, but really it is not. There is a strand that connects them.

Later, "each" cell tries to divide again and again, but they are still together. For this reason, the process of mitosis is not normal when the gene FAM190A is not working.

Cancer-Linked FAM190A Gene Found to Regulate Cell Division

(July 3, 2013)

Image take from: www.tumblr.com

Cancer-Linked FAM190A Gene Found to Regulate Cell Division

(July 3, 2013)

What happens in this abnormal cell division is called multipolar mitosis and it is one of the most important characteristics in cancer. Also, in this disease is common to find chromosomal imbalances, and abnormalities in the gene FAM190A can cause it.

Image take from: lifecellblog.blogspot.com

Alterations in FAM190A gene could be found in nearly 40% of human cancers and it is consider the third most common.

Cancer-Linked FAM190A Gene Found to Regulate Cell Division

(July 3, 2013)

Image take from: umbralanaerobico.blogspot.com

Personal Observation

I believe that knowing how our body and all of its components functions is an essential part today in the scientific world, not only for the pursuit of knowledge itself, but also in the case that something is wrong, knowing what is malfunctioning is a key part in finding a cure or a working treatment.

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

 

Telomeres are the sequences located at the ends of chromosomes.

Their functions are:•  Prevent the fusion between chromosomes.•  Avoid the degrading of the DNA endings.

They are very important in DNA replication, tumor suppression and aging.

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

 

Image take from: www.medindia.net

              After  each  cell  division,  telomeres  get shorter  but  it  is  a  slow,  gradual  and normal process.

       In cancer cells something very interesting happens  and  that  is  that  they must have short  telomeres  to  maintain  their undifferentiated state. 

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

 

Image take fom: www.immortalhumans.com

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

    

        In the study, researchers removed a protein  called  TRF2  from  the telomeres  of  human  fibrosarcoma to see what could happen.

       Without this protein telomeres are exposed  and  unprotected,  but thanks  to  the control points of cell cycle, the division stopped.

  Image take from: http://eishinoguchi.com/checkpoint.htm 

The p53 pathway       p53 is a protein that acts in the G1 control point, it responds quickly to damaged 

DNA. 

            The  p53  pathway  is  a  mechanism  that  protects  a  cell's  genetic  material  and suppresses tumors, because it detects any error (like deprotection telomeres) or a problem in the cell cycle.

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

 

p53's function may be deficient due to a mutation or the infection caused by cancer, when this happens the G1 checkpoint no longer works as such and therefore cells are able to divide with “deprotected” telomeres.

Critical Pathway in Cell Cycle May Lead to Cancer Development

(July 11, 2013)

Image take from: www.qiagen.com

I think that the cell being such a small structure, has many processes and each of them is essential for the proper operation and status of the cell. In this case, I should emphasize how the shortening of telomeres and mutation of the p53 protein leads to cancer. I believe that as more processes are discovered, it will be easier to find an effective treatment for this disease.

Personal Observation

Medical utility

It is important to understand the molecular mechanisms and the scientific explanation of diseases to consider a treatment or cure for them. in this case, regarding cancer which is a fairly common disease today.

Medical utility

Image take from: http://blog.alkalinecare.com/brocoli-defensa-contra-el-cancer/

Bibliography

• Kalpesh Patel, Francesca Scrimieri, Soma Ghosh, Jun Zhong, Min-Sik Kim, et al. FAM190A Deficiency Creates a Cell Division Defect. Sciencedaily, (online magazine), 2013 (July 3). Available at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130703160357.htm

• Anthony J. Cesare, Makoto T. Hayashi, Laure Crabbe, Jan Karlseder. The Telomere Deprotection Response Is Functionally Distinct from the Genomic DNA Damage Response. Science daily. (online magazine). 2013 (July 11).Available at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130711135223.htm

• Martinez Sánchez, Lina María. Biología molecular. 2. ed. Medellín: UPB. Fac. de Medicina, 2006. 208 pp. 47-51.