High frequency of mitochondrial
DNA mutations in glioblastoma multiforme identified by direct sequence comparison to blood samples.
This suggests that repeating patterns of
DNA mutations could be used as an indicator of treatment prognosis, helping to shape future therapies.
As the cells divide rapidly, they acquire new
DNA mutations, so a vicious circle of accelerated mutation ensues.
When subjected to higher UV exposure,
DNA mutations in the placebo group increased by 760%.
LHON is caused by mitochondrial
DNA mutations in subunits of NADH dehydrogenase (complex I), leading to reduced oxidative phosphorylation and energy production in retinal cells.
This is the first study investigating the impact of non-coding
DNA mutations in gastric cancer and we anticipate that it will inspire new research to further uncover the mechanisms and impact of these specific mutations."
Cancer is actually many thousands of different diseases, each with different underlying
DNA mutations. That's why drugs that are effective against one person's ovarian cancer may fail utterly against another's.
What differentiates the blood test from previous attempts is that it examines both
DNA mutations and proteins associated with cancer.
He said: "A novelty of our classification method is that it combines the probability of observing various
DNA mutations together with the levels of several proteins in order to make the final call."
"Others wondered how stress could possibly be related to a biological process that involves
DNA mutations and the growth of cancer cells within a particular organ, such as the pancreas."
However, in the samples from patients with colorectal, breast, lung, or ovarian cancer, the technique identified tumor-related
DNA mutations in 48 of 62 patients (77 percent) with advanced cancer (stages III and IV), and in 86 of 138 patients (62 percent) with stage I or stage II cancer.
They detected no cancer-related
DNA mutations in the samples from the healthy participants.
