Tag Archives: telomerase

Longer telomeres means longer life but also reduced cancer risk?

Posted on April 3, 2011 by rndsync

Evidence has indicated that there’s an inherited factor that helps determine telomere length and that short telomere length is a risk factor for cancer. No one had every connected the two, until now. Jian Gu, Ph.D., assistant professor in MD … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, science | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Telomerase inhibitor PINX1 is a key tumor suppressor

Posted on March 23, 2011 by rndsync

Telomeres are ends of choromosomes. For cell division to start and complete ends of chromosomes are essential. Without these, cell can’t divide any more. Each cell can divide a finite number of times before it’s done. It acts like a … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, cancer, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do we differ from Chimpanzees in genetic make up?

Posted on December 17, 2010 by rndsync

The popular answer has been that the difference is tiny and we share 98% of the genome with Chimpanzee. However, it’s important to see where these differences lie even though it’s only 2%. In genetics, even a few 1000 base … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, cancer, complexity, evolution, science, sync | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

p53 protein and it’s role in cancer. Seems like timing is everything in it’s ability to suppress cancer

Posted on November 25, 2010 by rndsync

p53 protein is encoded by TP53 gene in humans. It’s also known as tumor suppressor. P53 has many anticancer mechanisms, and plays a role in apoptosis, genetic stability, and inhibition of angiogenesis. In its anti-cancer role, p53 works through several … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, cancer, health, science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why chromosomes never tie their shoe laces?

Posted on October 16, 2010 by rndsync

Telomeres the ends of chromosomes act like caps on shoe laces. They prevent the chromosomes and the genes there in, from becoming untied there by degenerating the DNA. They also serve another function. DNA has repair mechanism that continuously checks … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, cancer, science | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cancer recurs in patients treated with radiation. Scientists may have found clues to why.

Posted on August 1, 2010 by rndsync

puzzle of p53 behavior. Lack of “puma” protein should have caused cancer to be pervasive but it has the opposite effect. What gives? Nature has a way of surprising you when you think you got it all understood. Complex systems … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, complexity, health, science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does stress reduce life expectancy?

Posted on July 24, 2010 by rndsync

http://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312.long Telomeres are ends of chromosomes that shorten with each time cell divides. When the telomere is completely gone, the cell does not divide any more. This is kind of like the caps at the end of a shoe lace. … Continue reading →

Posted in happiness, health, science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment