Why Elephants Don& rsquo t Get Cancer Health - Genetics HEAD TOPICS

Why Elephants Don& rsquo t Get Cancer

10/21/2022 4:01:00 PM

Elephants use 20 copies of a key cancer-fighting gene—and humans just have one

Health Genetics

Source

Scientific American

Elephants use 20 copies of a key cancer-fighting gene—and humans just have one Elephants use 20 copies of a key cancer-fighting gene-and humans just have one For elephants, at least, part of the answer may be the gene commonly known as p53, which also helps humans and many other animals repair DNA damaged during replication. Elephants have an astounding 20 copies of this gene. Those copies, each with two variations called alleles, produce a total of 40 proteins, compared with humans' (and most animals') single copy producing two proteins. New research in Molecular Biology and Evolution delves into how elephants' many copies offer cancer-fighting advantages. The work “opens many new possibilities to study how cells protect themselves from a damaged genome, both in elephants and in humans,” says study co-author Robin Fåhraeus, a molecular oncologist at France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. Read more:
Scientific American » A Black Mother's Loss Explains Why U.S. Maternal Health Care Is Broken Elle Macpherson Proves Age Is Just a Number While Posing in a Cheeky White Swimsuit Scientists found a molecule that destroys even the worst cancers in mice Dog Cancer Q&A: Types, Symptoms, Prevention, and More

Snap Stock Slumps Premarket as Sales Growth Slows Advertisers Cut Spending

Shares plummeted 25% in premarket trading after Snapchat’s parent company said it was operating on an assumption there would be no revenue growth in the current quarter. Read more >> Aiims1742 Ok. Make humans elephants! problem solved. Why dogs do not have worry ? They do not have the money (j)eans. They just wear trousers! 🤷‍ A Black Mother’s Loss Explains Why U.S. Maternal Health Care Is Broken'Our statistics have been shameful.' —mclemoremr Why does the U.S. have one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates among developed countries? Watch the latest episode of our short documentary series 'A Question of Sex' 📽️ meg3mcd Something that often gets lost in the abortion conversation is the physical and emotional trauma of pregnancy in the United States—due to unsupportive systems that can leave many pregnant people feeling alone: mclemoremr meg3mcd GOPtraitors Elle Macpherson Proves Age Is Just a Number While Posing in a Cheeky White SwimsuitElle Macpherson has candidly shared her thoughts on the joys of getting older and why she's even more confident in her skin now. Scientists found a molecule that destroys even the worst cancers in miceScientists have discovered a new molecular cancer treatment that eradicates even the worst cancers in mice. Not sure how this relates to the “worst cancers” (whatever that means) since it did not work on one of two cancer types on which it was tested. But it is very promising for certain solid tumors that are vulnerable to immunotherapy but are “protected” from it. Dog Cancer Q&A: Types, Symptoms, Prevention, and MoreA veterinary expert answers commonly asked questions about cancer in dogs, including what common symptoms to look for, cancer rate differences by breed, and how to help prevent cancer in your pet. What Happened to Kanye West?On the today’s What Next, the Candace Owens pipeline that brought Ye to Parler. Hopes Fade for Resurrecting Puerto Rico’s Famous Arecibo TelescopeNearly two years after the collapse of its 305-meter radio telescope, the Arecibo Observatory’s fate has been decided. The iconic giant dish will not be rebuilt, but research and public outreach at the site may continue That's a shame. Oh, well. Scientists call it Peto's paradox: cancer is caused by gene mutations that accumulate in cells over time, yet long-lived animals that have lots of cells, such as elephants and whales, hardly ever get it.Monica McLemore , a nurse-scientist at the University of Washington, became interested in reproductive health partly because she herself was born preterm in 1969.Elle Macpherson Proves Age Is Just a Number While Posing in a Cheeky White Swimsuit by.October 20th, 2022 at 3:20 PM By Joshua Hawkins Scientists working at Yale and the University of Rhode Island (URI) have discovered a new molecular cancer treatment that can home in on cancer cells and eradicate tumors in mice. Why? For elephants, at least, part of the answer may be the gene commonly known as p53, which also helps humans and many other animals repair DNA damaged during replication. Elephants have an astounding 20 copies of this gene. “The people who are closest to the problem are always going to have the most innovative solutions,” she notes. Those copies, each with two variations called alleles, produce a total of 40 proteins, compared with humans' (and most animals') single copy producing two proteins. New research in Molecular Biology and Evolution delves into how elephants' many copies offer cancer-fighting advantages. In it, they that would enable care models that treat the whole person, such as those that involve midwives, doulas and community-based organizations. The work “opens many new possibilities to study how cells protect themselves from a damaged genome, both in elephants and in humans,” says study co-author Robin Fåhraeus, a molecular oncologist at France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. These fire up the tumors, allowing the immune system to respond to them. In mammals, p53 plays a crucial role in preventing mutated cells from turning into tumors. Through extensive conversations with new parents in the U. It works by pausing replication and then either initiating repair or causing cells to self-destruct if the damage is too extensive. Without action from p53, cancer can easily take hold: in more than half of all human cancers, the gene's function has been lost through random mutations., Tully has found that after childbirth, many feel overwhelmed by a host of issues—vaginal and anal tearing, nipple pain and postpartum depression, among others—and unsure of where to seek help. The scientists virtually modeled and examined elephants' 40 p53 proteins, finding two ways the gene could help elephants avoid cancer. First, the fact that elephants possess multiple copies lowers the chance of p53 no longer working because of mutations. And she said that bad postpartum care is like a rip current pulling you out with waves, repeatedly crashing on you. Image source: filin174 / Adobe By using the molecule to guide the drug to the tumors and cancer cells, they’re able to kick them out of the “cold” tumor range and push the immune system to fight back. Additionally, elephants' p53 copies activate in response to varying molecular triggers and so respond to damaged cells differently, which likely gives an edge when detecting and weeding out mutations. These “remarkable” results imply that elephants have a spectrum of means through which p53 can operate, says Sue Haupt, a cell biologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Australia, who was not involved in the work. This understanding led to an initiative called the 4th Trimester Project , which provides information on postpartum tools and processes to improve care for birthing parents—such as one-pagers that detail what’s normal and what’s not. This points to “exciting possibilities for exploring powerful new approaches to cancer protection in humans,” she adds. Fåhraeus and his colleagues are now following up on these results using blood samples from an African elephant at the Vienna Zoo. In work she conducted a few years ago, while she was at the University of California, San Francisco, McLemore kept hearing stories of “stigma and shame and judgment and blame,” she says. They are exploring how its p53 proteins interact with damaged cells and other key molecules and plan to compare those findings with results from human cells. A. “Elephants, with their low incidence of cancer, have emerged as a surprising resource in human cancer research for understanding the intrinsic cellular response to DNA damage,” says Fox Chase Cancer Center virologist Virginia Pearson, who was not involved in the study.’” Advertisement. “This is an important publication.” .