Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida scientists writing in a recent issue of Developmental Cell. Scientists studying fruit fly cells discovered that slight changes in the protein scaffolds that support the genes “reaper” and “hid” — aptly named for their roles in triggering cell death — cause the cells to become naturally resistant to X-rays. (source: news.ufl.edu)
|