Cell Pathway On Overdrive Prevents Cancer Response To Dietary Restriction
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 15:29
in Biology & Nature
Researchers have pinpointed a cellular pathway that determines whether cancerous tumors are susceptible to dietary restriction during their development. When this pathway, known as PI3K is permanently turned "on" via mutation, tumors grow and proliferate independent of the amount of food consumed. However, when the PI3K pathway operates normally, tumors respond to dietary restriction -- defined as food consumption limited to 60 percent of normal -- and become smaller in size.