Genetic mutations may drive tumour formation

Washington: A new study has found that genetic mutations in the form of non- small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) may drive tumor formation by blurring cells' perception of key growth signals. The study, conducted at the University of California, has important implications for understanding and ultimately targeting the defective mechanisms underlying many human cancers. Healthy cells rely on the central Ras/ Erk growth signaling pathway ( also known as the Ras/ MAPK pathway) to interpret external cues about how and when to grow, divide, and migrate, but defects in how these messages are communicated can cause cells to grow out of control and aggressively invade other parts of the body. Such mutations are found in the majority of human cancers, making treatments for Ras/ Erk defects a “holy grail” of cancer research. Optogenetics, in which light- sensitive proteins are genetically engineered into cells in order to make them respond to pulses of light, has been a transformative laboratory technique in neuroscience. It allows researchers to control and study electrical activity patterns within networks of neurons with exquisite precision. By using the same approach to explore patterns of chemical communication within individual cells, the new research has revealed that some Ras/ Erk mutations may trigger cancer by altering the timing. — ANI