Linda and Amanda, a very long time ago.
That tiny blob now is the mother of two of my ultra-cute great grand kids
We all know
that cancer can be, and usually is, a result of genetic mutations. Some glaring culprits – sometimes called
oncogenes, have been known for decades.
Oncogenes cause the cell to divide without limit. Opposing these bad actors are things we call
tumor suppressor genes. Too many of the
former, or too few of the latter, can lead to active cancer growth. Additionally, sequencing of many cancer types
has shown that other (mutated) genes are involved in cancer growth, although
just why or how are not always obvious.
But we have a list of these suspicious mutations in TCGA, The Cancer
Genome Atlas, about which I have blogged recently.
What? You haven’t read it? Well, here’s another chance:
So, anyway,
a bunch of learned Brits have shown that normal, healthy, non-cancerous cells ALSO
display a panoply of these same mutations, yet remain pink, rosy and harmless So, what gives? No clue, it seems. Some speculation based on evolutionary theory
is advanced, but sheepishly. It appears
that this may be another promising avenue of research. Expect more, later.
You may be
interested to know that, by middle-age, your esophagus is coated by colonies of "mutant clones!" Maybe that's why Vegan food tastes so terrible!
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