Conditional neutrality as a method of controlling tumour growth.
Tumours are comprised of populations of mutant cells that are undergoing rapid cell division. The high mutation rate and rapid cell growth results in rapid evolution of the phenotypes required for tumour growth. Short cell cycles, angiogenesis, chemotherapy resistance and metastasis quickly evolve. Here I suggest that the genetic system of cancer cells may be exploited as a potential cancer treatment. If a cancer cell population is supplemented with agents that render some of the genes conditionally neutral, then eventually, through the process of neutral or near neutral evolution and genetic drift, all the cells in the tumour may become dependent on supplementation and the tumour may consequently be controllable through removal of the supplement. I suggest possible methods of suppressing mutations and detail factors that may influence the rate of fixation of the conditionally neutral mutations and the mean time taken for all cells to become dependent on supplementation. In addition I discuss some possible interactions between this method and traditional approaches to cancer therapy.
Smith
Phillip
P
Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Massey University, Private Bag 102904 North Shore Mail Centre, Albany AK 1310, New Zealand. p.r.smith@massey.ac.nz
D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010641:Phenotype; D013489:Suppression, Genetic