Long-term exposure to ultraviolet light not only leads to the appearance of pigment spots and wrinkles, but also can trigger the trigger of the deadliest type of cancer, melanoma, according to the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net Many people use a variety of sunscreen, wear closed clothing and try not to go out under the scorching sun, but there are some among us who are protected from melanoma by nature itself.

Scientists have found in humans different variants of the UVRAG (UV radiation resistance-associated gene). "Gene of resistance to UV radiation") - a gene that restores damaged by ultraviolet DNA and prevents the development of cancer.

About this discovery, Dr. Chengyu Liang (Chengyu Liang) from the University of Southern California, reports on the pages of the scientific journal Molecular Cell.

Professor Liang and his colleagues hope that the UVRAG gene will help develop effective strategies for combating skin cancer.

"If we could understand how the ultraviolet defense gene works, how it repairs the cells after irradiation, we could create fundamentally new means of preventing melanoma, and learn how to return damaged DNA to its normal state," says Liang, professor of molecular biology and immunology.

To study the sun-protective gene, Liang and his colleagues analyzed the DNA of 340 patients with melanoma, and also conducted a series of experiments with skin cancer cells and fruit flies.

After UV exposure to cells with the normal UVRAG gene for 24 hours, the damage was restored more than 50%.

At the same time, in cells with low expression or defective copies of the sun-protective gene, the damage was restored by less than 20%, which gives the cancer a chance.

"We found out that people with altered or inactive variants of the UVRAG gene have a high risk of melanoma and other malignant skin tumors, especially if they are often in the sun or in the solarium. Our study assumes that it is possible to carry out a genetic analysis on UVRAG, which, according to the results, recommends a preventive measure and screening for a person, "the authors concluded..

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