[Werner syndrome].
WS has been associated with an excess of cancer of unusual types, especially sarcomas. Thyroid carcinoma, the most frequent epithelial cancer in WS, accounted for 14% of neoplasia in Japanese with WS. The ratio of epithelial to non-epithelial cancer was 1:1, as compared with 10:1 in the general adult population. Genotype/phenotype correlations may be due to a mutation that induces a site-specific cancer or host-susceptibility factors, either genetic or environmental. Recently, we and others have identified WS gene(WRN) as chromosome 8p12-located RecQ type DNA/RNA helicase. The wild type WRN protein has the conventional RecQ type DNA helicase activity to unwind DNA/RNA helix. The precise functional study of the helicase may help the analysis of "Why and how we age and have cancer?" question in the near future.
Goto
M
M
Dept. of Rheumatology, Tokyo Metropolitan Otsuka Hospital.
Ishikawa
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics; D005090:Exodeoxyribonucleases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics; D053484:RecQ Helicases; D014898:Werner Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071657:Werner Syndrome Helicase
D005090:Exodeoxyribonucleases; D004265:DNA Helicases; D053484:RecQ Helicases; C098785:WRN protein, human; D000071657:Werner Syndrome Helicase; D020365:RNA Helicases