Thursday, January 17, 2008

Scientists uncover role of cancer stem cell marker: controlling gene expression

Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: January 17, 2008

Summary:

Scientists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have made an extraordinary advance in the understanding of the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread. The gene, USP22, encodes an enzyme that appears to be crucial for controlling large scale changes in gene expression, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.