Protein That Determines Cell Polarity Prevents Breast Cancer, Study Suggests
Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 10:42
in Biology & Nature
A team of scientists has found that a protein called Scribble, originally discovered as a cell-shape regulator in fruit flies and worms, is an important regulator of breast cancer. They report that Scribble normally directs breast epithelial cells to form the structures that give breast tissue its shape and thereby resist cancer formation. When Scribble stops functioning, the tissue loses its shape and cancers ensue.