Scientists identify a single 'master' gene that seems to turn on cancer-causing action of other gene

NYNEWSDAY.COM ^ | Friday, January 21, 2005 | Delthia Ricks

[Main Street]

A CLUE CALLED 'POKEMON'

Scientists identify a single 'master' gene that seems to turn on cancer-causing action of other errant genes

FRONT PAGE.

An international team of scientists believes it has found cancer's master switch with the discovery of a gene they dubbed ``Pokemon.''

Like the electronic game figures -- tiny monsters with bad tempers -- the cancer-triggering gene apparently instigates the misbehavior of other cancer-causing genes, leading to tumor formation.

In Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, in collaboration with teams in Japan and Britain, announced that the gene plays a key role in starting a malignancy. As a result, scientists now believe they have stumbled upon an important new target for an anti-cancer drug.

Dr. Carlos Cardon-Cardo, a molecular pathologist at the cancer center and a senior author of the research, defined Pokemon as an oncogene, which means it is capable of causing cancer. Dozens of oncogenes have been discovered over the past 25 years. But unlike the others, Cardon-Cardo said Pokemon has a governing role: It is needed for other genes to function. Eliminate Pokemon, he said, and you stop the activity of other cancer-causing genes.

``This is the master switch that interacts with other genes,'' Cardon-Cardo said. ``It acts differently than other oncogenes. Others regulate cell growth, but Pokemon impacts on critical properties of cancer cells.''

Among those key properties, Pokemon enhances a cancer cell's ability to resist aging and death. This immortalizing factor essentially endows cancer cells with a Peter Pan-like quality that renders them robust indefinitely, the very trait that makes tumors difficult to treat.

Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi, the study's lead investigator, said even though Pokemon shares a name with imaginary figures, whimsy was never intended. ``This is very serious and the name was serendipitous, pure serendipity,'' Pandolfi said. Pokemon stands for POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor.

[iching1]

Wow! Another major breakthrough...I believe this is Major Breakthrough No. 1006. With the usual "scientists believe" and "apparently" contained in the post, I predict, sadly, that this breakthrough will go nowhere.

[Capn TrVth]

TheoGore Bump!

[muir_redwoods]

If you want to read about wasted money on cancer research, do a google search on He La cells or Henrietta Lacks. It's an old story but basically a great deal of the research dollar spent 25-30 years ago was wasted.

[WVNan]

Yeah, just think of the vested interests that the medical field has in cancer. Does anybody really think they will allow a cure? Our local hospital is just completing a new cancer center. Then there are the scores of drugs involved in cancer treatment, not to mention the doctors and hospitals charges. Nope, can't have any cancer cures until we have a disease that is worse to take its place.

[freebilly]

Does anybody really think they will allow a cure?

The nephew of a friend of my brother's ex-wife's hairdresser actually invented a pill that allowed a car to travel 200 miles when you dropped it in a gallon of gas....

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Understand that cancer is not all alike. Even the same cancer type, given the same name reacts differently in each person. What works well for one type of cancer in one person may not work the same for the same cancer type in another individual. That's why research is so broad, expensive and time-consuming.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Sorry to hear that. How old were you at the time?

[WVNan]

LOL

[unspun]

healthy skepticism, but a big WOW is waiting to be let out

[RedBloodedAmerican]

"Nope, can't have any cancer cures until we have a disease that is worse to take its place."

I think there are plenty of oncologists who would disagree.

[WVNan]

I doubt that there is a single person whose life has not been touched by cancer in some way. The young ones are the most tragic. My son was only 22 when he died.

[fanfan]

This is actually sad, we have been fighting Cancer for how long? And we don't even really know what it is?

Kind of like sleep. What the heck is it anyway?

And dreams. What the heck are those for?

[cfrels]

My father died from lung cancer at age 30. My Mother was left with 2 babies.Later, at age 54, she got breast cancer, she has survived it, she will be 80 soon.

I HATE THIS DISEASE.

[fanfan]

Will this make the American Cancer Society glad or sad?

Good point.

Much the same as poverty industry workers want everyone to stay needy? Very few people want to be put out of a job.8-)

[WVNan]

You will have to forgive my scepticism. I worked in the Oncology wing at Richmond Memorial Hospital. I admit that my own experience has made me distrustful of doctors. I go to a family doctor once or twice a year just so I can say I have a doctor in case I have an accident and need repaired. Even then I would probably try to tell them how to set the bones. :)

[rwfromkansas]

``This is the master switch that interacts with other genes,'' Cardon-Cardo said. ``It acts differently than other oncogenes. Others regulate cell growth, but Pokemon impacts on critical properties of cancer cells.''

[rdl6989]

This is huge, I just hope the scientists can make it work in the near future. If I'm not mistaken it takes 12 years for the FDA to approve a medication.

[Tarantulas]

This article sounded like something from The Onion or an April Fool's Day joke. The names just didn't ring true:

Dr. Carlos Cardon-Cardo

Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi

Pokemon

So I went looking for the actual article, and found it. Here's the "abstract" of the article:

Role of the proto-oncogene Pokemon in cellular transformation and ARF repression

TAKAHIRO MAEDA1,2, ROBIN M. HOBBS1,2, TAHA MERGHOUB1,2, ILHEM GUERNAH1,2, ARTHUR ZELENT3, CARLOS CORDON-CARDO2, JULIE TERUYA-FELDSTEIN2 & PIER PAOLO PANDOLFI1,2

1 Cancer Biology and Genetics Program,
2 Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA
3 Leukemia Research Fund Center at the Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK

Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to P.P.P. (p-pandolfi@ski.mskcc.org).

Aberrant transcriptional repression through chromatin remodelling and histone deacetylation has been postulated to represent a driving force underlying tumorigenesis because histone deacetylase inhibitors have been found to be effective in cancer treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms by which transcriptional derepression would be linked to tumour suppression are poorly understood. Here we identify the transcriptional repressor Pokemon (encoded by the Zbtb7 gene) as a critical factor in oncogenesis. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking Zbtb7 are completely refractory to oncogene-mediated cellular transformation. Conversely, Pokemon overexpression leads to overt oncogenic transformation both in vitro and in vivo in transgenic mice. Pokemon can specifically repress the transcription of the tumour suppressor gene ARF through direct binding. We find that Pokemon is aberrantly overexpressed in human cancers and that its expression levels predict biological behaviour and clinical outcome. Pokemon's critical role in cellular transformation makes it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention.

Link (just click on "Cancel" when it tries to load the "PAF" files)

I'm still not sure if it's a hoax or not!

[WVNan]

All I can say is, don't hold your breath waiting to hear any more about this great "breakthrough". Dear Lord, I pray I'm wrong.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Right!!!

"Other genes", not ALL genes as referring to it as a "master gene" dictates.