PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsMajor genetic cause of colorectal cancer identified

BioNews

Major genetic cause of colorectal cancer identified

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 471

Author

Dr Rachael Panizzo

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.

Scientists have identified one of the leading genetic causes of inherited colorectal cancer, reported in the journal Science. Research teams at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Human Cancer Genetics Program at Ohio State University found that abnormal activity of the transforming growth factor-beta...

Scientists have identified one of the leading genetic causes of inherited colorectal cancer, reported in the journal Science. Research teams at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Human Cancer Genetics Program at Ohio State University found that abnormal activity of the transforming growth factor-beta type 1 receptor (TGFBR1) gene is associated with a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer.


Approximately one third of colorectal cancer cases are believed to genetically inherited, though many of the genetic abnormalities have yet to be identified. 'This probably accounts for more colorectal cancers than all other gene mutations discovered thus far,' said Dr Boris Pasche of Northwestern University, who lead the study with Professor Albert de la Chapelle, Ohio State University.


The researchers compared the DNA of 242 colorectal cancer patients, and 195 healthy controls. In patients with colorectal cancer, 10-20 per cent had abnormal production of TGFRB1, compared to 1-3 per cent in the control group. This genetic abnormality was clustered in families and dominantly inherited. Patients with abnormal TGFRB1 production were nine times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than healthy controls, with an estimated overall lifetime risk of developing the cancer at fifty per cent.


'There is not a conventional mutation,' said Professor de la Chapelle. The team found that the increased risk of developing colorectal cancer was linked to differences in the activity of the TGFBR1 gene, known as Allele Specific Expression (ASE), rather than a mutation in the gene. Each person has two copies, or alleles, of every gene in their genome, one inherited from the father and the other from the mother. The researchers found that when one copy of the gene was less active, there was reduced production of TGFBR1.


TGF-beta is an important cell signalling molecule involved in inhibiting cell growth and has been linked to colorectal and other cancers. In this study the researchers have identified one major mechanism of action.


The researchers stressed that the results will need to be replicated in a larger study involving many more patients. They also noted that their findings may be different in other ethnic populations, for example in African or Asian groups. Non-genetic risk factors for colorectal cancer include a diet high in fat and calories, and low in fiber; obesity; a sedentary lifestyle; alcohol consumption and smoking.


The research group hopes to develop clinical tests to identify abnormal expression of the TGFRB1 gene in families with colorectal cancer history. 'We will be able to identify a larger number of individuals that are at risk of colorectal cancer and, in the long term, maybe decrease the cases of colorectal cancer and of people dying from it by being able to screen them more frequently,' said Dr Pasche.

Related Articles

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
8 May 2015 • 2 minutes read

Scientists create 'living biobank' of cancer samples

by Ayala Ochert

Scientists have announced the creation of miniature tumours that closely mimic real cancers....

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
26 October 2012 • 2 minutes read

Old drug, new tricks: aspirin may boost colon cancer survival for patients with gene mutation

by Purvi Shah

Regular use of aspirin may extend the lives of colon cancer patients whose tumour carries a specific gene mutation, scientists report...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Study finds association between fat-cell hormone and cancer

by Adam Fletcher

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Dr Boris Pasche and team at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, US, report an association between variations in a fat-cell hormone gene, and colorectal cancer. The study profiled ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs - point changes in DNA...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Genome-wide search points to new bowel cancer gene

by Ailsa Stevens

Two studies, published in the current issue of the journal Nature Genetics, reported the discovery of a genetic element which researchers say increases bowel cancer risk by 20 per cent. The researchers, from London and Edinburgh, estimate that one in two people in the general population are...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

New tools predict hereditary colon cancer risk

by Dr Jess Buxton

US scientists have developed a new online tool for identifying people at risk of the most common form of hereditary colon cancer. The questionnaire, designed by researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, aims to help doctors identify who should be offered...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

New cancer risk gene uncovered

by BioNews

A new US study has revealed that a gene called TGFBR1-6A could be involved in up to 16 per cent of all cases of cancer. Scientists at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago have pooled the results of seven previous studies, and found that people who inherit a shortened...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Gene clues in cancer research

by BioNews

Two new studies have shed light on the genetic changes found in cells that become cancerous. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have discovered that over 30 per cent of colorectal cancers may be associated with alterations in genes that produce proteins called tyrosine kinases. Their findings, published...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Canadian Researchers Control Stem Cell Differentiation

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

UK report reveals public attitudes to fertility, genomics and embryo research

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Shortage of sperm donors despite men willing to donate

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

North East London CCG proposes offering three funded IVF cycles

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Fibrosis drugs reverse ovarian ageing in mice

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Gene implicated in motor neurone diseases discovered

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856