Genes ’decide who wins in body’s battle against cancer’

UCL researchers have discovered that two genes, called Mahjong and Lgl, could be star players in helping to identify how the body's own cells fight back against cancer cells. This discovery could lead to future treatments to make healthy cells better-equipped to attack cancer cells, an entirely new concept for cancer research. The team, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and based at the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell Biology Unit at UCL, have proven that normal cells and cancerous cells compete in a game of 'do or die'. If the non-cancerous cells gain the advantage and entirely surround the cancer cells, the cancer cells will die. If, however, the cancerous cells manage to break free, they will continue to divide and grow undisturbed. The study shows that the Lgl and Mahjong genes play a huge role in the cells? competitiveness, influencing the outcome over which cells will die. This kind of cell competition had previously been shown to occur in flies; however, this is the first time it has been seen in mammals.