Researchers have made a surprising discovery regarding gliomas, incurable brain tumors. While cancers are usually caused by mutations and changes in the cells’ DNA, it has been found that gliomas can be triggered by changes in the epigenome, the collection of compounds that attach to DNA and alter gene activity without changing the DNA sequence per se.
These changes can be the result of pollution, environmental toxins and an unhealthy lifestyle.
A group of researchers from the Dana-Farber Institute, Broad MIT and Harvard have identified two genes involved in human gliomas, one of which is an oncogene that causes cancer and the other is a gene that suppresses tumors, protecting against cancer.
Using animal models, the researchers demonstrated that changes in the epigenome, which activate oncogenes and inhibit tumor suppressor genes, act together to promote the formation of brain tumors.
These findings underscore the potential for therapies that can prevent gliomas by targeting the epigenome. The fact that these brain tumors can be driven by epigenetic changes suggests that new chemotherapy agents that target these changes may hold the key to preventing the growth of these tumors.
The study that revealed these recent findings was published in the journal Cell in an article published on Tuesday.
Source: 360medical.ro
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2023-08-01 13:32:05
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