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The yeast cells on the right harbor an extra copy of chromosome 4, which slows their division. TORRES

A neupoloidy might not be a boon for cancer cells after all, say Eduardo Torres, Angelika Amon (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and colleagues. Extra chromosome copies slow division, the researchers found.

Almost all tumors are aneuploid, and scientists have long suspected that the condition aids the renegade cells. Chromosome gain could provide extra copies of growth-promoting genes, and chromosome loss might jettison tumor suppressors. However, several studies, including work on cells from Down syndrome patients, suggest that aneuploidy inhibits cell proliferation.

To investigate aneuploidy's effects systematically, Torres and colleagues turned to mutant yeast that occasionally end up with spare chromosomes after mating. The researchers corralled cells that carried at least one extra copy of 13 of the yeast's 16 chromosomes. The fungi resembled cancer cells in their ravenous appetite for glucose.

But the yeast differed from cancer cells in a crucial way: they divided sluggishly. The reason for the slowdown was a tarry in G1. Although aneuploidy might be helpful in some circumstances, Amon says, cancer cells must get around the division limitation to reap the benefits. "What we're saying," she explains, "is that cells have to evolve pathways to deal with the baggage that comes with aneuploidy."

Reference:

Torres, E.M., et al. 2007. Science. 317:916–924.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Mitch Leslie

mitchleslie{at}comcast.net

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This Article PDF (Full Text) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Leslie, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Leslie, M. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?