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Health News
Weed can provide clues on aging and cancer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Oct 27, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. study reports a
common weed and human cancer cells could provide details about DNA structure and
how telomeres affect cellular aging and cancer.
In the study, scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of
Cincinnati examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the
world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins.
Telomeres are located at each end of a chromosome and are composed of DNA and
protein. Their main function is to protect the ends of the chromosome, but they
also play a key role in cell division. Researchers also believe they play a key
role in cellular lifespan.
The team said it then identified the human counterpart -- a discovery the
scientists said could be beneficial in understanding human cancers and cellular
aging.
"We found that removal of the plant telomere proteins caused rampant end-to-end
joining of chromosomes and dramatic defects in plant development," Texas A&M
Professor Dorothy Shippen said. She and University of Cincinnati Professor
Carolyn Price were co-corresponding authors of the study.
"The discovery of a new protein complex that is required to maintain the
protective telomere cap is very exciting and should open up new research avenues
related to human disease," Price said.
The work appears in the journal Molecular Cell.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright: Copyright 2009 by United Press International
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