Cell Death and Cancer

Cell Undergoing Apoptosis © 2001 by the University of Central Arkansas

Cancer is linked to a cell's inability to destroy itself through a process known as apoptosis. Cells that become damaged or infected must be removed to avoid passing on abnormalities. Researchers from the University of Utah have discovered one way in which cells avoid apoptosis. It involves a chromosomal abnormality that is marked by the absence of a telomere. Telomeres are protective caps that are located on the ends of chromosomes.

The study shows that some fruit fly cells with a missing telomere are able to avoid apoptosis and continue to divide. These cells contain a mutated gene and mutated proteins that no longer function properly and are unable to trigger self-destruction. It is believed that the mutated cells avoid apoptosis by somehow adding new telomeres. This enables them to divide and pass along abnormalities which lead to cancer.

Learn more about this discovery, see:

• When Cells Go Bad: Cells That Avoid Suicide May Become Cancerous (Science Daily)