Scientists from seven research institutions including University of Edinburgh have found that different molecules unique to elephants are activated in response to carcinogenic conditions. They say that this may have implications for cancer treatments in humans.
They discussed the p53 protein, which is known to give protection against cancers, and its 'handshake' interaction with another molecule named MDM2. These two molecules working together is essential to healthy cells dividing and replicating, damaged cells getting repaired, and destroying cells with failed repairs, say the scientists - however it can also deactivate the cancer-busting p53 protein.
It was found that elephants which have 20 copies of the p53 gene, compared to the two in humans, were less likely to have certain copies of the gene deactivated in the handshake interaction with MDM2, as it is in humans. This allows for increased sensitivity in the protein when responding against carcinogenic conditions.
Cancer mortality in elephants is estimated at less than five percent, compared to up to 25 percent in humans.
Co-author Professor Fritz Vollrath, Department of Biology, Oxford University and trustee of Save the Elephants said: "This intricate and intriguing study demonstrates how much more there is to elephants than impressive size and how important it is that we not only conserve but also study these signature animals in minute detail. After all, their genetics and physiology are all driven by evolutionary history as well as today’s ecology, diet and behaviour."
Co-author Professor Robin Fåhraeus, INSERM, Paris said: "This is an exciting development for our understanding of how p53 contributes to preventing cancer development. In humans, the same p53 protein is responsible for deciding if cells should stop proliferating or go into apoptosis but how p53 makes this decision has been difficult to elucidate.
"The existence of several p53 isoforms in elephants with different capacities to interact with MDM2 offers an exciting new approach to shed new light on p53’s tumour suppressor activity."
The researchers are now looking to look into activating p53 and targeted drug therapies in humans.
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