Australian researchers have found a link between cancer risk and the functions of a group of genetic fragments in cells, Xinhua reported.
According to new research from Flinders University, published in the journal Cancer Cell, experts have discovered that specific circular ribonucleic acids (RNA) can stick to DNA in cells and cause mutations that lead to cancer.
It is the first known genetic molecule found to have the ability to alter DNA and cause cancer, the researchers said.
“While environmental and genetic factors have long been thought to be the main causes of cancer, this ground-breaking discovery ushers in a whole new area of medical and molecular biology research,” said Simon Cohn of Flinders University. According to him, these molecules could be treated as new therapeutic targets and markers of diseases in their extremely early stage, when the probability of successful cancer treatment is much higher.
The team of scientists compared the neonatal blood tests of children who developed acute leukemia with those of healthy children. The experts found much higher levels of the specific circular RNA at birth among the representatives of the first group. The findings show that the abundance of RNA molecules in the cells of some people stimulates the development of genes that cause cancer only in certain people, but not in others, writes BTA.
“Circular RNA can bind to DNA in many different places in a number of cells. By binding to the DNA at specific sites, this circular RNA causes a series of changes, ultimately leading to the DNA break that the cell must repair to survive,” Cohn explained. “This repair is not always perfect and can lead to small mutations, like a misspelled word in a book, or worse, very, very large and devastating mutations.”
The research team will continue the study to investigate the role of circular RNA in cancer as well as other diseases.
2023-06-09 17:36:00
#Scientists #discovered #cancer
