Findings from an international collaboration of scientists – including the Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) at the BC Cancer Agency – will be published in the March 24th issue of Nature.
The research, coordinated by Germany’s Cenix-BioScience, revealed 661 genes required for cell division of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans), a microscopic roundworm.
The findings build on the work of the consortium, which published results of one of the six chromosomes of C.elegans in 2000. This week’s publication reports on the completion of the inventory, providing scientists with a full catalogue of genes involved in cell division in this organism.
The Genome Sciences Centre performed the computational aspect of the research, which involved designing software to target and probe each of the 19,000 C.elegans genes. The GSC team systematically knocked out each of the genes permitting researchers to record how the loss of each gene impacted the process of cell division.
“Knowing what genes and proteins are involved in cell division gives us a good handle on what is happening in cancer cells because cancer is essentially a result of uncontrolled cell division” explains Dr. Steven Jones, head of Bioinformatics at the Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre.
While C.elegans is a structurally simple organism, it shares many of the biological characteristics common to all animals, including humans. Much of what is learned from the roundworm will be directly transferable to human biology.
“The knowledge gained from this work provides us with new potential targets for cancer treatment and therapy by controlling or inhibiting the ability of cancer cells to proliferate” adds Dr. Jones.
The complete results will be published in Nature’s March 24, 2005 in the paper entitled, “Full-genome RNAi profiling of early embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans.” For a copy of the paper, please visit www.nature.com
The BC Cancer Agency, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer. It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care. The BC Cancer Research Centre conducts research into the causes and cures for cancer.
The primary mandate of the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre is to deploy resources and technology of a high-throughput genome mapping and DNA sequencing lab to decrypt the genetic code, specifically to advance cancer research, diagnosis and treatment.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Papinder Rehncy
BC Cancer Agency
604-877-6261