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Cancer Culprit
11 May 2013

Cancer Culprit

Eye colour, body shape, whether we can roll our tongues: genes affect everything about us. These genetic programs carry within them the code needed to create proteins – the building blocks of life. Given this essential role, it is perhaps unsurprising that genes also play a major part in some diseases. With gastric cancer (a microscopic section pictured), the activity of one gene, called CAV-1, is particularly important. As tumour cells (orange) take hold, the gene becomes less and less active in producing proteins. Although this shift occurs throughout the tumour, it’s in its connective tissue (green) where this drop in work rate appears to have the greatest toll. Lower levels of CAV-1 activity in these areas predict higher rates of death and recurrence in patients. Therefore, targeting CAV-1 within the connective tissue of tumours may offer a good opportunity for fighting the disease.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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