Power Cut

When studying complex conditions, understanding the mechanisms behind differences in disease severity between patients can be a helpful way forwards. For example, researchers investigating why prostate cancer is both more prevalent and more deadly in African Americans than those of European descent have recently identified a new oncogene involved in prostate cancer, known as MNX1. More active in African American patients, and to a lesser extent in severely-affected European Americans, than in healthy individuals, it boosts the process of lipogenesis, the synthesis of fatty acids. Pictured in red in prostate cancer cells (nuclei shown in blue), fatty acids are an important source of energy for growing tumours, and key markers of aggressive prostate cancer. Variation in the importance of MNX1 in tumour progression appears to be a major difference between prostate cancer types, while disrupting lipogenesis, cutting off the tumours’ energy supplies, could represent a promising new means of treatment.

Movember, raising awareness of men's health issues.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

Website

• Image courtesy of the National Cancer Institute / Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine / Subhamoy Dasgupta
• Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
• Image copyright held by the photographer/institute
• Research published in Cancer Research, October 2016