New regions of genetic material are involved in the development of colon cancer

Microscopic image of colon cancer.
Microscopic image of colon cancer.
Research
(24/07/2014)

Most research on human cancer genes has been focused on the regions of the coding genome (exons), which are the ones translated into amino acids and, thus, proteins. But just before each gene, there is a regulatory region or activator which controls the expression and activity of the adjacent gene. Until now, very little was known of the role that such DNA fragment plays in tumour development.

Microscopic image of colon cancer.
Microscopic image of colon cancer.
Research
24/07/2014

Most research on human cancer genes has been focused on the regions of the coding genome (exons), which are the ones translated into amino acids and, thus, proteins. But just before each gene, there is a regulatory region or activator which controls the expression and activity of the adjacent gene. Until now, very little was known of the role that such DNA fragment plays in tumour development.

 
A scientific paper published today in the journal Nature, in collaboration with the group of Manel Esteller, professor of Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB) and ICREA research professor at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), where he directs the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Programme, ​​shows that these regions are also altered in cancer.
 
“The results of the study reveal that regulatory regions preceding the gene are variable, can mutate and be chemically modified, for instance with DNA methylation in the cells of tumour transformation", affirms Professor Manel Esteller.