Health Maintaining proper oxygen supply in tumors could be key factor to stop progression of cancer

tom_mai78101

The Helper Connoisseur / Ex-MineCraft Host
Staff member
Reaction score
1,460
The lack of oxygen in tumor cells changes the cells’ gene expression, thereby contributing to the growth of cancer. This is the main conclusion of a research project led by professor Diether Lambrechts and Dr. Bernard Thienpont (VIB-KU Leuven), which was published in the renowned scientific journal Nature. The findings are far-reaching, as the study also proved that maintaining a proper oxygen supply in tumors inhibits these so-called ‘epigenetic aberrations’. The paper’s insights could eventually lead to new anti-cancer drugs that target blood vessels or the epigenetic aberrations.

Cancer onset is generally well-understood: due to chance or carcinogenic factors, a single cell’s DNA mutates, followed by the rapid expansion of the abnormal cell. These genetic mutations disturb normal cell function, but are beneficial for the growth and survival of cancer cells. But apart from these genetic changes, tumors cells also differ epigenetically, which has to do with how genes are expressed rather than the genes themselves.

Although epigenetic changes don’t affect the genetic code, they can strongly disturb gene function in a similar way, to the benefit of cancer cells. But until now, the origins of these epigenetic changes mostly remained a mystery. Scientists from the lab of professor Lambrechts investigated one frequent epigenetic alteration: hypermethylation, or the excessive addition of methyl groups to DNA. Hypermethylation silences the expression of tumor suppressing genes, thereby enabling the aberrant behavior of cells and the excessive growth of tumors.

Diether Lambrechts (VIB-KU Leuven): “Our study shows that these epigenetic alterations are caused by the environment of the tumor, and more specifically by oxygen shortage – which we call ‘hypoxia’. Oxygen is required by the enzymes that normally remove the methyl groups from the DNA. When there is oxygen shortage, too much methylation is retained, causing hypermethylation. Even more, hypoxia explains up to half of the hypermethylation in tumors. While we dedicated much of our efforts to breast tumors, we also demonstrated that this mechanism has a similarly broad impact in bladder, colorectal, head and neck, kidney, lung and uterine tumors.”

Read more here. (Health Medicine Network)
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Varine Varine:
    I have a bunch of community service I have to do, and I have a feeling there will be a lot of snow shoveling involved now
  • The Helper The Helper:
    don't know why people choose to live in that kind of weather :)
  • Varine Varine:
    Well
  • Varine Varine:
    My job is here
  • Varine Varine:
    I was born here man I didn't choose shit
  • Varine Varine:
    And also, I keep moving away and it doesn't get any better. I moved to San Antonio and shit froze there AND we had blackouts
  • tom_mai78101 tom_mai78101:
    I'm back, suffering from severe jet lag.
  • The Helper The Helper:
    Cold is following your ass around Varine - I just dont think I could handle a snowy winter.
  • The Helper The Helper:
    Welcome Back Tom!
  • The Helper The Helper:
    I hear that taking a Melatonin around your normal bedtime can really fix jet lag
  • tom_mai78101 tom_mai78101:
    Yeah, I also heard about that as well. I think I'm good. I'm just lucky it's the weekend so I have some time to readjust.
    +1
  • Varine Varine:
    It was a fucking blizzard today, shoveling was an effort in futility.
  • Varine Varine:
    Melatonin gives me nightmares
  • Varine Varine:
    They had me shoveling out the parking lot for the jail. Fucking pointless, they need a blow.
  • Varine Varine:
    Well they gave me a snow blower but it was too wet to do much with with other than compact everything. Oh well, the cop cars can get into there now when they arrest people I guess
    +1
  • The Helper The Helper:
    I shit you not we are Number one on Google for Banana Bread Recipe
  • jonas jonas:
    xD
    +1
  • The Helper The Helper:
    Need Web Design Contractor that knows Word Press, Woocommerce and Elementor to help with the company that sponsors this site
  • The Helper The Helper:
  • The Helper The Helper:
    I am going to be AFK most of this weekend has I have a friend coming into town for his company christmas party and I am going to be busy with that this weekend.
    +1
  • The Helper The Helper:
    541 Active Users and this number has been pretty steady give or take some. The bots are hammering us.
  • The Helper The Helper:
    I have been posting a bunch of recipes and Google is loving them. I mean OK my shit is good but how does google know LOL!

    The Helper Discord

    Members online

    No members online now.

    Affiliates

    Hive Workshop NUON Dome World Editor Tutorials

    Network Sponsors

    Apex Steel Pipe - Buys and sells Steel Pipe.
    Top