New Study Explores Gene Essential for Tumor-Suppressing Function

A new study published in Nature explains the pathway in a certain gene essential for its tumor-suppressing function.

Approximately “30% of individuals with myeloid malignancy diseases have a mutation in a certain gene called tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2). This gene is responsible for providing instructions on creating certain proteins and is known to have a tumor-suppressive function.”

Malignant cells can “grow out of control” when TET2 is mutated. These mutations have been pinpointed as “a culprit in blood cancers such as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.” Researchers have now determined that “TET2 can modify chromatin-associated RNA, leading to changes in gene expression. This current study illuminates this process, highlighting some promising new therapeutic targets.”

Specifically, the study showed that “the absence of TET2 creates a pathway leading to an open chromatin environment that allows for gene expression changes that can lead to the activation and growth of blood cancer cells.”

According to the research team, next steps will include “working on molecular inhibitors that can disrupt this pathway and lead to highly targeted therapies.”