University of Toronto researchers have found that cancer cells can enhance tumor growth by hijacking enhancer DNA normally used when tissues and organs are formed.
Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Sep 29 2023 University of Toronto researchers have found that cancer cells can enhance tumor growth by hijacking enhancer DNA normally used when tissues and organs are formed. The mechanism, called enhancer reprogramming, occurs in bladder, uterine, breast and lung cancer, and could cause these types of tumors to grow faster in patients.
"The genome is like a recipe book written in DNA that gives instructions on making all the parts of the body," says first author Luis Abatti, who obtained his PhD in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology at U of T. "In each organ, only the recipes relevant to that organ should be followed, whether it's the instructions for lung, breast or some other tissue.
The researchers then determined that the enhancer causes increased cancer cell growth because when they removed the enhancer in lab-grown cells, the cancer cells created fewer new tumor colonies.
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