An unexpected relationship between two of the most frequent cancer-causing factors might lead to more effective drugs.
According to a recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, two of the most common genetic changes that result in cancerous cells, which were previously believed to be distinct and controlled by different cellular signals, are really working together.
To treat cancer, researchers have so far concentrated on developing medications that either inhibit one or the other. Treatments that work better could result from an understanding of their cooperative effects.
Cells manufacture a protein called p53, which functions within the cell nucleus to react to stress, but mutations in the gene that makes p53 are the most common genetic abnormalities in cancer. Runaway cell proliferation in cancer is also often linked to mutations that activate a cell’s surface-located pathway called PI3K/Akt.
Cellular signaling pathways allow cells to accomplish important communications tasks that maintain healthy cell functions. The process is a bit like sending mail, which requires a specific series of steps and appropriate stamps and marks on the envelope to deliver a letter to the correct address. READ MORE...
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