oncogene tagged posts

The green-labelled cells show a basal cell carcinoma in mouse tail epidermis derived from a single mutant stem cell and expanding out of the normal epidermis stained in red. Credit: Adriana Sánchez-Danés

Scientists have identified for the first time the ‘cell of origin’ – in ie the first cell from which the cancer grows – in basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, and followed the chain of events that lead to the growth of these invasive tumours. Our skin is kept healthy by a constant turnover. The process is maintained by ‘progenitor’ cells – the progeny of stem cells – that divide and ‘differentiate’ into fully-functional skin cells to replenish dying skin...

Molecular model showing the novel proposed mechanism for the activation of SMURF2. The C-lobe (in yellow) of the SMURF2 protein interacts with an ubiquitin molecule (in green), which was transferred to SMURF2 by USP15. Credit: Image courtesy of National University of Singapore

In certain settings, the TGF-beta pathway can act as an oncogene, enhancing cancer progression in humans. The activation of this pathway can increase the growth of tumors by promoting cell invasion, activating cancer stem cells, and in some cases, promoting the spread of cancer. In recent years, a number of deubiquitinating enzymes have been shown to regulate the TGF-β pathway and may potentially be considered as a new class of drug targets...