(From Xinhua Online). A team of South Korean researchers have found a mechanism to explain why aging cells – with a reduced ability to proliferate – are more prone to becoming cancerous. This hinges on the same gene recently linked to grey hair and melanomas: “Bcl-2 barred the DNA repair mechanism, depriving the human body of a significant tool in countering mutations, dramatically heightening the likelihood of tumors appearing. … Up until now, scientists have suspected cells accumulate mutations when they are young and become tumors when they are old. But we have learned aged cells suffer abrupt mutations due to a lack of DNA repair.” How does this tie in with the link between short telomeres and cancer? More research is definitely called for.
View the Article Under Discussion: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/27/content_2385100.htm
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