How to tell if your genes are real or not
How to spot genes that are not real source Medical Newstoday title ‘Hollywood version’: Scientists uncover gene mutation in people who aren’t sick article Scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have identified a new type of mutation that could potentially be linked to a rare type of childhood cancer.
In the study, published this week in the journal Nature, the researchers found that an unidentified variant of a gene known as BRCA1 was responsible for a rare form of genetic cancer known as childhood lymphoma, which is more common in Caucasian women.
While this new mutation was not specifically linked to the rare cancer, the scientists said that it suggests that BRCa1 is a potential target for new treatments and vaccines.
The findings were a step in the right direction for the team, who have been studying the gene mutation for over a decade and have identified the mutation in more than 40 patients.
“This is one of the first instances of BRCx1 as a potential causal mutation that is associated with lymphoma,” lead author Roberta Pimentel, a UC San Francisco postdoctoral fellow, said in a statement.
“We are now looking at what else this mutation may be associated with, and we hope to develop a drug that targets this mutation.”
The team also identified a different type of gene mutation that may be related to breast cancer, a disease that can develop in children.
The research team, which included UCSF scientists in the lab of Dr. Roberta K. Crampton, was led by UCSF professor of molecular and cell biology, Dr. Mark B. Sperling, who led the research.
Other researchers from UC San Jose, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, University of Wisconsin, Stanford University and the University at Buffalo contributed to the study.
“It is the first time that a mutation associated with breast cancer has been shown to be causally related to lymphoma in adults,” Cramton said.
“Our study highlights the importance of investigating the role of B.C.
A1 in this disease, as it may have important therapeutic implications in the treatment of other types of cancers.”
The discovery was made by researchers at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UC San Diego Cancer Center.
They analyzed the genomes of more than 1,400 patients and found a new mutation in a gene called BRCBx1 that causes the disease in children as well as adults.
The researchers said the mutation is a result of mutations in the gene’s C-terminal region.
The BRCbx1 gene is not mutated in adults, but it is mutated in children with the disease, which can lead to a range of genetic abnormalities.
The new mutation is not a result, however, of the children’s tumors growing bigger or being more aggressive.
“The discovery is really exciting because it shows that a very rare mutation that can cause BRC-negative breast cancer in children is related to the disease that affects adults,” said UCSF Cancer Institute Director of Medicine, Dr.-Ingrid E. Gjoni.
The researchers also found the mutation has an association with the rare type, called BCL-8, which causes the condition.
That mutation is also associated with more aggressive tumors in children and adults, according to the UCSB study.
Dr. E. B. Hoch, UCSF Medical School’s professor of pediatric cancer, added that the finding “demonstrates that B.c.A.1 can be a significant risk factor for cancer in young people.
We know from previous research that the BRC family is strongly linked to breast cancers, so it’s important to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to this rare mutation.”
For more information on breast cancer and BCL, visit the UCSFs website.
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