Mutations causing various forms of cancer, was even more numerous than previously thought. An international group of scientists involved in the "Cancer Genome Project" identified about 120 new genes directly related to the development of malignant tumors.

This time the attention of scientists was focused on the genes encoding the sequence of amino acids in the proteins of the kinase group, which play an important role in regulating the processes of growth and division into cells.

Researchers compared data on approximately 500 genes of kinases collected during the Human Genome Project with 210 samples of cancer tissue of various types. Thus, they revealed about 1000 mutations, characteristic for cells that underwent malignant degeneration.

About 150 of these mutations were recognized as leading - that is, directly provoking the development of the disease.

According to one of the leaders of the study, Michael Sitratton, scientists did not expect to find so many genes associated with cancer. Until recently, the "genome of cancer" was about 350 genes.

According to the researchers, many mutations discovered at the last stage of the study can become convenient targets for drug therapy.

Medicinform. Net.

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