Research into the action of a key cancer gene has serendipitously uncovered its vital role in nerve growth, Cancer Research UK scientists reveal in a paper published on Wednesday.
The gene regulates a protein called c-Jun, which is found at high levels in many different forms of cancer, including skin cancer, liver cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Scientists at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute have been studying c-Jun to try and understand its function both in healthy tissue and in tumours.
Today's report describes the essential role of c-Jun in repairing damaged nerve cells. Learning more about this important protein could therefore help to develop treatments for people with spinal injuries, as well as increase our understanding of cancer.
Lead researcher Dr Axel Behrens, of the Cancer Research UK Mammalian Genetics Laboratory, says: "We're studying this gene because the c-Jun protein is present in several forms of cancer at far higher levels than in healthy tissue. This implies an important role for c-Jun in the development of cancer.
"To understand the role of c-Jun in disease, we also need to understand the normal functions of this gene. Our research was prompted by the fact that c-Jun is not only present in cancer cells, but is also produced at high levels in response to nerve cell injuries."
Damage to nerves, such as from accidents, elicits a standard response – the 'axonal response' – that culminates in the re-growth and recovery of the nerve.
The scientists examined the axonal response in mice that did not have c-Jun in their central nervous systems.