Scientists reveal how internal biological clock may suppress tumor growth
New discovery helps explain how disruption to daily biological rhythms could lead to increased risk of cancer.
July 01, 2021
LA JOLLA, CA—Those who engage in long-term, rotational shift work, such as nursing or firefighting, are at increased risk of developing cancer, but the biological roots of this phenomenon have remained largely unknown.
Now, new research from the lab of Katja Lamia, PhD, an associate professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research, demonstrates a clear link between the circadian clock and the body’s tumor suppression system, with the potential to accelerate cancer cell growth.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the new research shows how mutant forms of the circadian clock gene CRY2 found in human tumors are able to dampen the activity of a key tumor suppressor gene, P53...