Genetic Variation Fuels Testicular Cancer
(Ivanhoe Newswire) –New research identifies a common mutation that dramatically increases the risk for testicular cancer and describes a likely molecular mechanism by which it exerts that effect. Researchers also explain why the genetic variation is more common in light-skinned people.
The DNA sequence of the human genome consists of tiny variations that result in the many differences between people, from their eye color to their risk of obesity. These mutations are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and because they change only one base (or “letter”) in the sequence they are also associated with risk for a wide variety of diseases.
The SNP discovered by co-author Gareth Bond, who is a Ludwig researcher at Oxford University, and colleagues affects the activity of a protein named p53, which is known as the cells’ most important defense mechanism against cancer. The team analyzed databases containing over 62,000 SNPs linked with cancer, looking for the mutations that alter p53’s ability to turn on its target genes. They found one that boosts p53’s association with a key response element and shows that this particular SNP is tightly linked to the risk of developing testicular cancer.
For more information, go to: http://www.newswise.com/articles/a-genetic-variation-that-could-protect-skin-from-sun-damage-fuels-testicular-cancer
SOURCE: Cell, October 2013
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