Time to Grow?

It’s a tricky balancing act. Cells must multiply so that children can grow and adults can heal, but cells which keep on growing and dividing when not required can turn into cancer. Working out how cells know when to grow, and when to stop is key to understanding and preventing cancer. These pancreatic cells have been genetically engineered and chemically treated to knock out an enzyme (called Lbk1) that suppresses tumour formation. Without the enzyme the tissue enlarges to form a cyst and then collapses in on itself like a deflated soufflé. The cells lining the cyst are fluorescently labelled to show the surface proteins (red), cell-to-cell binding proteins (yellow) and nuclei (blue). These lab-created cysts are very similar to naturally occurring pre-cancerous cysts, and are helping researchers understand what the malignant trigger might be.

Written by Sarah McLusky

Sarah McLusky

Writer

Sarah McLusky is a freelance science education consultant. Her work varies from writing resources and managing science fairs to making rockets. Sarah used to be a ‘proper’ scientist and has a PhD in Plant Biochemistry.

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• Ira Mellman
• Genentech, USA
• Originally published in Journal of Cell Biology 199(7): 1117