Cancer and ageing: rival demons?
Organisms with renewable tissues use a network of genetic pathways and cellular responses to prevent cancer. The main mammalian tumour-suppressor pathways evolved from ancient mechanisms that, in simple post-mitotic organisms, act predominantly to regulate embryogenesis or to protect the germline. The shift from developmental and/or germline maintenance in simple organisms to somatic maintenance in complex organisms might have evolved at a cost. Recent evidence indicates that some mammalian tumour-suppressor mechanisms contribute to ageing. How might this have happened, and what are its implications for our ability to control cancer and ageing?
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Life Sciences Division, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jcampisi@lbl.gov
Judith
J
Campisi
D000375:Aging; D017209:Apoptosis; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D004260:DNA Repair; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000502:physiology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000502:physiology
D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53