A possible cause of the most common cancer such as lung, prostate, intestinal and breast cancer could be evolution. This emerges from a new study that was recently carried out by researchers at the Medical Faculty of the University of California. Compared to chimpanzees, the closest relative in evolution, people are particularly susceptible to the development of advanced carcinomas. Such aType of aggressive tumoroccurs even if there are no known risk factors such as genetic predisposition or tobacco consumption.
Reference to the most common cancer in the development line
The published study therefore suggests that a genetic mutation unique for humans could at least partially be responsible for aggressive types of cancer. At some point during human evolution, the Siglec12 gene and in particular the Siglec-12 protein suffered a mutation. This protein is produced as part of the immune system. The mutated variant removed its ability to differentiate between their own and penetrating microbes, so the body had to get rid of it, according to the study authors. In a study with normal and cancer-like tissue samples, the researchers found that around 30 percent of people who still produce Siglec-12 proteins have more than twice the risk of developing advanced cancer during their lives. This was compared to people who cannot produce such protein. Usually genes that encode such dysfunctional proteins are eliminated from the body over time. About two thirds of the global human population have set the production of the Siglec-12 protein.
Since this gene is still available in humans, it was assumed for a long time that it has no functional relevance. Very few follow -up studies were carried out in the two decades since its discovery. In the meantime, chimpanzees still produce functioning Siglec-12. The results therefore indicate that the minority of the people who can still produce the protein has a much higher risk of advanced cancer. The researchers also validated their results in mice by introducing tumor cells that were developed to produce Siglec-12. Such resulting cancers grew much faster and switched on many biological paths, according to the researchers. It is known from these that they promote the most common cancer. According to the authorsthe studythis information is important because they could be used for future diagnoses and treatments. You may also be able to use antibodies against Siglec-12 to selectively hand over chemotherapy to tumor cells.
