Protein protects lung cancer cells from efforts to fix or kill them
A protein that helps lung cancer cells thrive appears to do so by blocking healthy cells’ ability to fix themselves when radiation or chemicals such as nicotine damage their DNA, according to a University of Florida study to be published Friday (Feb. 29) in the journal Molecular Cell.High levels of the protein, known as Bc12, are found in the cells of lung cancer patients who smoke.
Previous UF research has shown that nicotine activates the protein, which helps tumor cells live long past their natural lifespan and resist chemotherapy. The new findings explain how the protein enables cancer cells to circumvent the body’s own efforts to change them back into healthy cells — or evade treatments designed to kill them.
This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 8:57 am and is filed under Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.