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Switching Off Cancer
26 July 2015

Switching Off Cancer

Could halting colon cancer be as simple as flipping a protein switch? It seems too good to be true, but research in mice showed that deactivating and then reactivating a tumour suppressor protein called adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) was enough to induce and then eradicate colon tumours in a matter of weeks. Similarly, in an intestinal organ culture (pictured), switching off APC (left) caused cancer-like cell behavior - overt proliferation and loss of cell identity – while switching the protein back on (right) reestablished intestine-like structures and cell characteristics. Mutations that deactivate APC are present in the majority of human colorectal tumours and are believed to initiate disease. The results in mice, however, suggest APC deactivation not only initiates tumours but is required to maintain them. If the same is true in humans, then reestablishing APC’s activities in a patient’s colon tumour could potentially arrest or even reverse its growth.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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