Researchers at the University of California at San Diego, the School of Medicine and the Moores Cancer Center have just published their study according to which human evolution may be partly responsible for a high risk of cancer in humans compared to to our cousins the chimpanzees. Passeport Santé tells you more.
A mutation in the Siglec-12 gene could explain the high risk of cancer in humans
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego, the School of Medicine and the Moores Cancer Center conducted a study showing that an evolutionary genetic mutation specific to humans may be at the origin of a high risk of cancer in humans. humans. Published on December 9 in FASEB BioAdvances, the results of the study implicate the Siglec-12 gene, and more precisely the Siglec-12 protein.
To put it simply, this discomfort was originally used to identify invading microbes present in the body. However, the mutation of this gene linked to human evolution would have had the effect of erasing this function of the immune system. Lead author Ajit Varki, MD Distinguished Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores Cancer Center, explains it this way: “ At some point in human evolution, the SIGLEC12 gene – and more specifically the Siglec-12 protein that it produces as part of the immune system – underwent a mutation that eliminated its ability to distinguish between the ‘self ‘and invading microbes, so the body needed to get rid of them “.
Twice the risk of developing cancer for the 30% of people who produce Siglec-12
According to specialists, about two-thirds of the world’s human population has stopped producing the Siglec-12 protein. However, the presence of this gene is still observed in some individuals. If very few studies on the subject have been carried out, as the authors of the research remind us, they highlight the fact that a mutant form of Siglec-XII has been found to be present in a high proportion of advanced carcinomas. ” This could help explain why humans are more prone to aggressive carcinomas, which are rare in chimpanzees. Explain the researchers.
According to the results of the study, the researchers found that the 30% of people who still produce Siglec-12 are twice as likely to develop advanced cancer during their lifetime compared to individuals who do not. ‘produce more.
Results that could be useful for future diagnoses
According to the authors of the work, these results could be useful insofar as they could be exploited for future diagnoses and treatments against cancer. For example, the team of researchers has already developed a urine test to detect the presence of this dysfunctional protein in patients. On the treatment side, the authors indicated: “nWe might also be able to use antibodies against Siglec-12 to selectively deliver chemotherapy to tumor cells that carry the dysfunctional protein, without harming non-cancerous cells. “.
