WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Scientists say they have found a protein "watchdog" that has the ability to stop hereditary cancers.
A collaborative effort by a team of researchers found that one of the proteins found naturally in cells has the ability to halt the progression of intestinal tumors that arise from genetic predisposition.
When the activity of this protein, known only by the technical name of p53,
was artificially increased in the cells of laboratory mice, those known to have a hereditary predisposition for developing cancer showed a marked decrease in tumor development.
The study also indicated that the treated mice did not suffer from
the side effect the research team most feared: premature aging, which has been linked to overproduction of p53 in other studies. The discovery could assist in future human cancer treatments.
The scientists theorized that the solution could lie with another protein the body produces naturally to keep p53 in check. This other protein, called Mdm2, keeps p53 inactive until it is needed, acting like a leash on a watchdog.
The team's research appears in the Jan. 1 issue of the scientific journal Genes and Development.
