Researchers Find Gene Involved In Body's Defense Against Skin Cancer
Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are studying the cause of non-melanoma skin cancer. Their study has discovered a protein, the Fas ligand protein, which is essential for the elimination of altered skin cells due to ultraviolet radiation from exposure to sunlight which can ultimately lead to the development of cancer.
Skin cancer is derived from "genetic alterations" in the DNA resulting from UV radiation from the sun. Researchers have pinpointed the protein responsible for naturally helping the body to remove the damaged cells. The Fas ligand binds to the Fas receptor to cause cell death of the damaged skin cells, thus, reducing the risk of cancer cell development.
Twenty mice with the Fas ligand, said to be the "normal" mice, were used in comparison to twenty mice that were mutated to be without the Fas ligand. In the first part of the experiment, the two sets of mice were exposed to an hour and a half of sunlight, which is equal to forty-five minutes for humans. The genetically altered cells in the Fas ligand mice went through cell death, sixty-five damaged cells per linear centimeter of skin were experiencing cell death and elimination, while only eighteen cells per linear centimeter of skin in the Fas ligand lacking mice went through the process.
In the second part, ten mice from each group were put to an hour and a half of sunlight per day for a week, and another ten mice were exposed for the same amount of time for two weeks. The results showed that for the normal mice, only one out of the twenty subjects had damaged cells, whereas for the mutated mice, fourteen out of the twenty mice had damaged cells, showing that the Fas ligand is a significant factor in prevention of skin cancer by taking care of the genetically altered cells.
The Fas ligand has also been applied to studies regarding donor organ acceptance, autoimmune disease, and tumor growth.
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990810070928.htm
Acacia Ho
(VTPP 434-501)
Skin cancer is derived from "genetic alterations" in the DNA resulting from UV radiation from the sun. Researchers have pinpointed the protein responsible for naturally helping the body to remove the damaged cells. The Fas ligand binds to the Fas receptor to cause cell death of the damaged skin cells, thus, reducing the risk of cancer cell development.
Twenty mice with the Fas ligand, said to be the "normal" mice, were used in comparison to twenty mice that were mutated to be without the Fas ligand. In the first part of the experiment, the two sets of mice were exposed to an hour and a half of sunlight, which is equal to forty-five minutes for humans. The genetically altered cells in the Fas ligand mice went through cell death, sixty-five damaged cells per linear centimeter of skin were experiencing cell death and elimination, while only eighteen cells per linear centimeter of skin in the Fas ligand lacking mice went through the process.
In the second part, ten mice from each group were put to an hour and a half of sunlight per day for a week, and another ten mice were exposed for the same amount of time for two weeks. The results showed that for the normal mice, only one out of the twenty subjects had damaged cells, whereas for the mutated mice, fourteen out of the twenty mice had damaged cells, showing that the Fas ligand is a significant factor in prevention of skin cancer by taking care of the genetically altered cells.
The Fas ligand has also been applied to studies regarding donor organ acceptance, autoimmune disease, and tumor growth.
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990810070928.htm
Acacia Ho
(VTPP 434-501)
posted by acaciaho at 7:00 PM
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