Chinese and American scientists have shown for the first time thatthere is a direct relationship between cancer and stress, as published today by the magazineNature. The study was carried out in fruit flies, which share the genes and biological sequences involved in this process with humans. The experiments reveal that cells subjected to stress can emit signals that induce the generation of tumors that affect neighboring healthy cells.
Specifically, the study authors focused their work on the activity of twomutant genes: RasV12, which is associated with 30 percent of cancer cases, andscrib- tumor suppressor gene, that when it is presented in a defective way, it favors the development of the disease.
In principle, none of them alone can cause cancer. But the researchers studied fruit flies that carried both genetic mutations and found that if a cell that has only theRasmutant is close to a cell withscrib-defective can lead to a malignant tumor. In other words, unity is strength. Of thecommunicationbetween both cells theJNK protein, who regularly participates in thestress response.
The conclusions are “bad news”, according to Professor Tian Xu, from the University School of Medicine in Connecticut (USA), head of the research, who says “there are a wide variety of conditions that can trigger physical and emotional stress. , as well as infections and inflammations, “which makes us vulnerable to cancer.
The good news is that a potentialnew way to fight cancer, intercepting and blocking the stress signalthat exchange cells.
