New Brunswick N. J. December 14 2019 – – A Rutgers study identifies a new mutation in human mesenchymal stem cells that could help lead to more successful research into thyroid cancers. The discovery is offered in an article entitled Thyroid cancer genetic diversity is influenced by switching genes on and off rather than genes active during cell division. The study led by researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and published in Nature demonstrates that human mesenchymal stem cells are subject to genetic switches called epigenetics which represent natural changes to DNA that are able to regulate gene expression. Around three-quarters of the mtDNA mutations occur in genes that are turned on or off. This provides insights into how genetic switches affect DNA methylation or the chemical structure of DNA that determines the form a gene will use.
Human mesenchymal stem cells are invaluable because they can divide indefinitely. In vitro these cells can divide indefinitely and produce many cells called endo-mesenchymal stromal cells. Endo-mesenchymal stromal cells are found in the blood in tumors and in the placenta and vagina. Endo-mesenchymal stromal cells are found in the lining of blood vessels and frequently allow for the identification of newly generated cells from the patient. In a non-cancer setting changes in these stromal cells abating so that they maintain a homogeneous appearance can help in diagnosis and treatment of cancer said Cheryl Denham the Robert G. Jeffery Professor of Lymphoma and a member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute where she is Director of the Department of Oncology Developmental Cell Culture and Stem Cell Biology.
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