LA JOLLA, Calif., Feb. 7 U.S. geneticists have discovered a specific gene can suppress skin cancer development.
The scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research found genetic evidence that Activating Transcription Factor 2, or ATF2 -- a protein that regulates gene transcription -- responds to extracellular stresses, such as ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation.
That function in stress and DNA damage response suggests the gene might also play a role in the formation of tumors, researchers led by Ze'ev Ronai said.
"Important support for the finding comes from the analysis of tumor samples from human patients with non-malignant skin cancer," said Ronai. "Unlike the strong nuclear expression of ATF2 in normal skin, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma samples exhibit a significantly reduced nuclear staining for ATF2."
The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Copyright 2008 by UPI
