Researchers have found new evidence that casts more light on why a faulty version of a single gene - BRCA1 - is linked to a higher rate of breast cancer in women. In women who carry a correctly functioning copy of the BRCA1 gene, which is located on chromosome 17, the risk of developing cancer is not increased. But women who have a faulty copy of the gene are known to have an increased chance of developing breast cancer - about 65 to 85 per cent higher than usual.
The role the gene plays in this increased risk has been known since the mid-1990s, but has not yet been fully understood. Now, a team of researchers led by Dr Paul Harkin at Queen's University, Belfast, say that carrying a faulty copy of the gene means that the body's ability to detect potentially cancerous cells is lost, so the cells are not destroyed before they begin to form tumours.
Harkin and his team say that in normal circumstances, BRCA1 interacts with a chemical called interferon gamma, which acts as the 'eyes and ears' of the immune system. Potentially cancerous cells are identified by the immune system and forced to 'self destruct'. But when a faulty copy of the gene is present in cells, this interaction breaks down and cancerous cells can develop.
Sources and References
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Gene research throws light on cancer risk
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Scientists trace a gene that triggers cancer
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