Tumor Suppressor Gene In Flies May Provide Insights For Human Brain Tumors
Monday, June 22, 2009 - 11:28
in Biology & Nature
In the fruit fly's developing brain, stem cells called neuroblasts normally divide to create one self-renewing neuroblast and one cell that has a different fate. But neuroblast growth can sometimes spin out of control and become a brain tumor. Researchers have found a tumor-suppressing protein in the fly's brain, with a counterpart in mammals, that can apparently prevent brain tumors from forming.