A mechanism enabling cells to repair UV ray damage to DNA has been unexpectedly discovered during cell research conducted by Microbiology Prof. Ian Macara at the University's Center for Cell Signaling. This finding could help shed light on certain areas of cancer research.
"What we discovered is previously unexpected cellular machinery that tries to protect us and repair the damage caused by UV rays," Macara said.
According to Macara, UV rays can damage both the structure and the DNA of a cell, which can eventually lead to skin cancer.
"In this case, we were trying to understand what happens when you are exposed to UV rays," he added.
According to the research, the protein SOCS7 moves into the cell's nucleus after damage from UV rays occurs; stops the cell from dividing; and activates the cell's response to repair damage, Macara said.
"If this repair fails, more damage can occur, and we believe it is a possibility that cancer can arise," he added.
The results of this research were "very unexpected," Macara said. "We were more interested in the skeleton of cells and what makes them keep their shape ... We had no idea studying how cells keep their shape would have anything to do with how the cell repairs itself from sun damage."
According to graduate College student Brandon Kremer, who assisted Macara with his research, these findings are also significant for cancer research.
"For [many] years, people have been studying the growth of cells and the movement of cells in cancer as two separate things," Kremer said. "What we found is there is a link between the two because the protein limits both cell division and cell movement."
The research, conducted during the past two years, was mostly funded by grants from the National Institute of Health with additional funding from the University Cancer Center.
"What is most interesting about this research is that [Macara] stumbled upon something unexpected." said Richard Rodewald, program officer for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. "The work links several important areas of basic cell biology and has implications with respect to cancer and how cells respond to outside effects that can lead to cancer."
Macara said the findings provide a basis for future research examining how people who are unresponsive to cell repair because of natural gene mutations might be more susceptible to cancer.
"The bottom line is that to understand disease, we have to understand in a very deep way what is going on in cells," Macara said.
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