Many times physicians and researcher wonder exactly why some diseases such as particular types of cancer are hereditary. Many just speculated that is what just some type of mutation that is carried over from parents to offspring, when in fact is much more than just a mutation. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have been working on a very rare but very deadly type of cancer, chordoma. Chordoma is a cancer that is found in the bones and nervous system, and is thought to be caused by reminants of the notochord from embryonic development. It has been determine that only about one in one million people have chordoma. Unfortunately those who have the cancer have about a ten year lifespan after diagnosis.
As it can be seen, chrodoma is a very serious type of cancer. But how come it seems to be so hereditary? Researchers at Duke seems to have found the answer, gene duplication. Up to this point it was thought that it was a mutation of a certain gene, but in fact it was a complete duplication of the gene. The gene that seems to be the source of all the problems is the T (Brachyury) gene on chromosome 6. Brachyury is a transcription factor that helps in the development of the notochord during embryonic development, and has been found in large amount in biopsied chordomas.
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