Radiotherapy: Worming your way to cell death

sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (www.nature.com)

The mechanisms underlying radiation-induced cell death remain somewhat controversial. One suggestion is that ceramide functions as a crucial transducer of apoptosis after exposure to ionizing radiation. However, until now, evidence for a direct link between ceramide synthesis and apoptosis pathways has been lacking. Xinzhu Deng and colleagues now clarify this relationship

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Human pancreatic tumor cells are sensitized to ionizing radiation by knockdown of caveolin-1

cappuccion submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.nature.com)

"Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is an integral transmembrane protein and a critical component in interactions of integrin receptors with cytoskeleton-associated and signaling molecules. Since integrin-mediated cell adhesion generates signals conferring radiation resistance, we examined the effects of small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Cav-1 alone or in combination with beta1-integrin or focal adhesion kinase (FAK) on radiation survival and proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma cell lines."

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Brca1 heterozygous mice have shortened life span and are prone to ovarian tumorigenesis

addict submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.nature.com)

BRCA1 mutation carriers have an 85% lifetime risk of breast cancer and 60% for ovarian cancer. BRCA1 facilitates DNA double-strand break repair, and dysfunction of BRCA1 leads to hypersensitivity to DNA damaging agents and consequently genomic instability of cells. Here, they have examined the tumor incidence and survival of Brca1 heterozygous female mice. And this study suggests that women carrying Brca1 mutations may be more prone to ovarian tumor formation after IR exposure than nonmutation carriers.

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