Understanding the Cellular Basis of Cancer
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Rochester, Minn.; are currently working on a wide variety of projects, with the overall mission of the Cell Biology Program to:
- Define the molecular and cellular basis of transformation of normal cells into malignant cancer cells, of growth of those tumor cells, and of metastasis of cancer cells to other areas of the body.
- Provide insights into normal and aberrant functions of genetic alterations found in cancer cells.
- Provide a solid foundation of outstanding molecular cell biology to support the Center's organ-based (prostate, ovarian, gut) cancer programs.
The Cell Biology Program has a number of ongoing research projects in four different research areas:
Cell Adhesion, Migration and Metastasis
Investigators in this group are working to better understand how cells attach to substrates and each other, and how these attachments are altered as a cell initiates migration and invasion. Many of these important processes are also utilized during tumor angiognesis, providing another avenue for research.
Cell Signaling and Receptor/Membrane Traffic
Cells have receptors on their surface that bind growth factors. These growth factors signal to the cell and help regulate gene activation telling the cell to divide or differentiate into a muscle cell or a brain cell. Normally, once the signal to grow has been sent, it is internalized and the signal stops because it has been taken off the cell surface. If the pathway is defective and the cell is unable to internalize the growth factor, then the cell will keep dividing because the signal is still on the surface.
These investigators study the pathways and mechanisms through which receptor endocytic activity is coupled to cell signaling pathways.
Gene Regulation/Transcription
This group of researchers conducts collaborative studies investigating fundamental genetic mechanisms relating to cancer. They seek to better understand which genes promote cancer, which genes suppress cancer and how those genes are regulated or activated.
Mechanics of Cell Division
Researchers in this group are trying to understand how cells divide and duplicate their DNA over and over again with remarkable precision. Sometimes - perhaps once in a billion times - there is a malfunction and a cell may have an extra chromosome. In most cases the damaged cell would recognize that it is defective and go into apoptosis, or programmed cell death. In cancer cells the programmed cell death pathway is not working, and instead of dying the cancer cells continue to grow.
Yeast, Mice, and Fruit Flies
In addition to the study of human cells, the Cell Biology Program uses "model organisms" such as yeast, mice, and fruit flies as its research subjects. These "models" give researchers many advantages in answering questions about human cell biology. For instance, a fruit fly's genome, or DNA, mimics human DNA; it is fully sequenced, but less complex than a human's. In addition, the generation time for yeast and fruit flies is hours, days, or weeks, making it fast and easy to assess genetic manipulations and other modifications researchers make to the organisms' cells.
