Cancer fighter

scientists have finally established how a cell molecule combats unhealthy functioning of the human body with the help of the gene silencing process. During the process, functioning of genes in specific cells can be suppressed with the help of ribonucleic acid (rna) -- the molecule found in all cells. Shutting down unwanted genetic activity in a targeted manner can help attack cancerous cells.

But to date scientists have been unable to develop such therapies, as the role of rna in gene silencing was a mystery. This drawback has now been overcome by scientists led by Utpal Bhadra and Manika Pal-Bhadra of Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. During experiments on the chromosomes of drosophila, they found that gene silencing is achieved by rna interferences at specific locations during the conversion of euchromatin to heterochromatin -- two main components of a cell's chromosome. The rna interference blocks the formation of heterochromatin, disrupting chromosome regions. This leads to the death of targeted cells.

The findings can help evolve therapies targeted at heterochromatin of cancerous cells, the scientists state in their paper published in Science (Vol 303, No 5658, January 30, 2004).