As part of an international collaboration reaching from Singapore to California, the scientists examined the DNA of more than 60 people with MSSE and 110 of their unaffected relatives to discover that the disease was caused by faults in a gene called TGFBR1.
TGFBR1 is responsible for synthesizing a receptor protein through which healthy cells receive instructions from their neighboring cells on jobs they have to perform for the body’s growth and development.
In fact, TGFBR1 acts as an initial ‘brake’ to prevent the growth of early tumors of various types.
However, when cancers metastasize and become aggressive, their cells undergo a ‘signaling switch’ wherein they interpret the same messages from TGFBR1 differently.
In more advanced cancers, TGFBR1 begins to promote tumour growth.
The reverse happens in the self-healing tumors which have an inherited fault in the TGFBR1 gene.
At some point there is a ‘switch’ in behaviour and the tumors lacking TGFBR1 heal themselves.
Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Dundee David Goudie said the discovery of TGFBR1 may help shed light on what goes wrong in other types of cancers.
Cancer Research UK director of cancer information Lesley Walker also seconded Goudie’s opinion on the matter.