Team genetically sequences most common bladder cancer

August 11, 2011 in Cancer

In an article published online this week in Nature Genetics, a University of Colorado Cancer Center team in partnership with universities in China and Denmark reports the first genetic sequencing of urothelial (transitional) carcinoma, the most prevalent type of bladder cancer.

Recognizing the that make bladder different than their healthy neighbors may allow early genetic screenings for cancer and new therapies targeting with these mutations. In addition, the mutations the team found are similar to those recently discovered in a host of other cancers, implying a possible common denominator in the cause of cancer in general. Specifically, in 59 percent of 97 patients with urothelial , the team found mutations in responsible for – the process of packaging DNA for easy duplication during cell division.

"The discovery of mutation in the UTX gene and seven similar chromatin remodeling genes is a major step toward genetic testing and treatment of bladder cancer," says Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director the University of Colorado Cancer Center and an author on this work. On a grand scale, the study also provides the first-ever overview of the genetic basis of urothelial bladder cancer and implicates chromatin remodeling in its cause.

Chromatin describes the genetic contents of a cell's nucleus including the cell's DNA and the proteins that sculpt its arrangement inside the cell. During most of a cell's life, these proteins arrange DNA loosely so that its inner parts are accessible and available for use. In preparation for cell division, these proteins in the cell's chromatin constrict DNA into a tight package for efficient duplication. This squeezing is known as "chromatin remodeling." How the cell remodels and thus how it duplicates depends greatly on associated chromatin remodeling genes -- the genes this study found to be mutated in many bladder cancer patients.

"When we talk about 'causes' of cancer, there's a black box between a healthy cell and the emergence of cancerous ones," says Theodorescu. "By exploring the genetic changes that take place inside this box, we can look at the links of the chain of events that lead to cancer and hopefully target specific links for therapy."

In the development of bladder cancer, this study shows that chromatin remodeling is an important link.

"We are currently well underway in performing similar sequencing with Caucasian subjects to determine if the mutations in the Caucasian population are similar to those seen in this study's Asian subjects," Theodorescu says.

After confirmation, the task will be twofold: designing genetic tests for these mutations that may allow easy, early, accurate diagnosis of , and developing therapies that recognize these mutations and kill the cancerous cells that hold them.

Provided by University of Colorado Denver

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Small cancer risk following CT scans in childhood and adolescence confirmed

The gap between life expectancy in patients with a mental illness and the general population has widened since 1985 and efforts to reduce this gap should focus on improving physical health, suggest researchers in a paper ...

Cancer created 11 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Changing cancer's environment to halt its spread

By studying the roles two proteins, thrombospondin-1 and prosaposin, play in discouraging cancer metastasis, a trans-Atlantic research team has identified a five-amino acid fragment of prosaposin that significantly reduces ...

Cancer created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Novel RNA-based classification system for colorectal cancer

A novel transcriptome-based classification of colon cancer that improves the current disease stratification based on clinicopathological variables and common DNA markers is presented in a study published in PLOS Medicine this w ...

Cancer created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Low radiation scans help identify cancer in earliest stages

A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate ...

Cancer created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Poliovirus vaccine trial shows early promise for recurrent glioblastoma

An attack on glioblastoma brain tumor cells that uses a modified poliovirus is showing encouraging results in an early study to establish the proper dose level, researchers at Duke Cancer Institute report.

Cancer created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Study says empathy plays a key role in moral judgments

Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Those who tend to say "yes" when faced with this classic dilemma are likely to be deficient in a specific kind of empathy, according to a report published in the scientific journal ...

Phthalates: Study links chemicals widely found in plastics, processed food to elevated blood pressure in children, teens

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the ...

If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong

(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...

B vitamins could delay dementia

(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...

Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...