Cell division, cancer and chromosome therapy to correct chromosome defects.

Simón Hoyos Patiño

Medicine Student.

FOLDING

New findings on how the cells in our bodies are able to renew themselves could aid our understanding of health disorders, including cancer.

Scientists are investigating to correct some mutations in the DNA, like used cells to correct a defective “ring chromosome” with a normal chromosome.

Cell Division Discovery Could

Offer Fresh Insight Into Cancer

(Science daily Jan 14, 2014)

 

Researchers have discovered a group of proteins, that stabilise the process of celullar division.

Mistakes in this delicate event can lead to disorders in the human body, like cancer.

This proteins, known as the Ska complex, help anchor DNA, the form of chromosomes, by interacting with strands of cell material.

Chromosomes keeps bound to these strands in the division, in a process that helps distribute DNA correctly to the daughter cells.

The determination of the structure of the Ska complex showed how this proteins attaches to the strands, helping to bind the DNA.

The authors said that this discover represent a key in resolving the mystery of how these important proteins enable new cells to separate properly and equally, this is an essential process for life

This important process, will be a line for more researchers to investigate, because knowing more about this proteins, we can have an idea of how the cell divide and keeps our organs working well. It’s important to increase the investigation in this topic , because it can be the answer for a lot of questions 

Individuals with ring chromosomes may display a variety of birth defects, but nearly all persons with ring chromosomes at least display short stature due to problems with cell division.

In the ring chromosomes, the two ends of the chromosome fuse together, forming a circle

The fusion can be associated with large terminal deletions, These deletions can result in disabling genetic disorders if the genes in the deletion are necessary for normal cellular functions.

The scientists studied skin cells from three patients with abnormal brain development, they have large terminal deletions in one arm of the chromosome 17, one of these patients had a ring chromosome, and all of they had a normal chromosome.

The researchers observed that, after reprogramming, the ring chromosome 17 that had the deletion, it disappear and was replaced by a duplicated copy of the normal chromosome 17

Apparently the ring chromosomes vanished entirely during rapid and continuous cell division during reprogramming.

The division of the normal choromosome correct the lost.

This enormous research tell us that in the future, with more investigations we will take damaged chromosomes and replaced it , this can be the cure for a lot of genetic disorders. The problem is that this discover doesn’t works in human being for now, so it´s necessary to improve this techniques to apply to the human body.

With the Ska complex we can have an idea of a pharmacological treatment to fight with some cancers, or improve in genetic engineering.

This knowledge can be a skyline to repair organs, because if we know how the cells renew themselves we can also try to induce that process and repair damages in the body tissues.

 

 

we can also repair tissues of birth defects,

and improve the life of a lot of people that birth with abnormalities granting a better life.

 

Altought ring chromosomes are not so common, genetic disorders have been increasing every year, so this is a line to focus future investigations to fight with this problems.

1. Passarge, Everhard. 2007. genética texto y atlas. Tercera edición. Madrid, España. Editorial médica panaméricana. Pp: 179, 203, 451.

2. Martínez Sánchez, Lina María; Vargas Grisales, Natalia; Toro Montoya, Andrés Eduardo; Pamplona Sierra, Ana Paulina; Orrego Quevedo, Esteban. 2013. Biología molécular, libro de clase. Séptima edición. Medellín, Colombia. Editorial UPB. Pp: 47-74

3. Case Western Reserve University. "Study discovers chromosome therapy to correct severe chromosome defect." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 January 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140113100207.htm>

4. University of Edinburgh. "Cell division discovery could offer fresh insight into cancer." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 January 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140114103013.htm>