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Tiny RNAs, big problems

Spread of breast cancer to other body parts is linked to microRNA.

The smallest bit of genetic material may cause the deadliest of tumours. Researchers have implicated a tiny RNA molecule in the invasive spread of breast cancer — the factor responsible for most deaths from the disease. In 2007, around 179,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and some 47,000 will probably die.

Read the story here.

Posted by Nicola Jones on September 26, 2007
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This is exciting research and we hope to see conclusive evidence drawn from large sample in coming months. If miR-10b triggered gene silencing of HOXD10 is found to be the lynch-pin then there may be a remote possibility that recently boomed RNA mediated gene activation theory 1,2 in therapeutic HOXD10 reactivation or controversial 'inhibition in disguise' of miR-10b 3 to control cancer invasion.

References:
1. Long-Cheng Li, Robert F. Place, Rajvir Dahiya, et al. | Small dsRNAs induce transcriptional activation in human cells | PNAS 2006 (Nov 14):103;17337-17342
2. Janowski AB, Younger ST, Hardy DB, et al. | Activating gene expression in mammalian cells with promoter-targeted duplex RNAs | Nature Chemical Biology 2007:3;166-173 | doi:10.1038/nchembio860
3. News report by Erika Check: RNA interference: Hitting the on switch | Nature 2007:448;855-858 | doi:10.1038/448855a
#end

Posted by: Samir Amin | September 30, 2007 06:08 AM

That researchers repeatedly conflate the organization of biological process with that of technological widgets is seen in the story's quote:

"'Cancer cells are not clever enough to invent these traits on their own. Instead they resurrect programmes that are in the embryo,' Weinberg says."

If we persist in viewing biological systems as 'computers with programs' we will NEVER succeed in developing cures beyond the current primitive methods. That is, we will never achieve restorative cures for cancer, immunological diseases and tissue (nerve) damage.

An accessible, naturally demonstrated alternative to the computer analogue is here:

Hollenberg, D. 2007. On the evolution and dynamics of biological networks. Biology Forum/Rivista di Biologia 100: 93-118.

Posted by: Dennis Hollenberg | September 30, 2007 10:03 PM

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