The discovery that telomeres, that is to say the ends of our chromosomes, are capable of creating proteins, could help better detect certain cancers.
- Researchers have discovered that telomeres can create proteins.
- These proteins are markers of aging and one of them is also present in cancer cells.
- Eventually, thanks to this discovery, the researchers hope to be able to develop a blood test to better detect certain cancers and know the real biological age of an individual.
Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes, which themselves are located in the nuclei of our cells. According the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm)“each time a cell copies its DNA before dividing, it loses a small piece of telomere, like a photocopier cutting off the margins of the original document. So much so that these protections eventually wear out… The cell then stops dividing and functioning normally.“It’s cell death.
DNA: telomeres can produce proteins
Until now, scientists thought that telomeres could not produce any protein. But researchers have just discovered that this is false: telomeres have genetic information and can produce two small proteins, GL (glycine-leucine) and VR (valine-arginine). This last protein is in high quantity in some human cancer cells.
“Based on our research, we believe that simple blood tests for these proteins could help screen for certain cancers and other human diseases.explains Jack Griffith, one of the researchers behind this discovery, in a communicated. These tests could also provide a measure of ‘telomere health’, as we know that telomeres shorten with age.“
Measuring proteins to screen for cancer
Scientists believe that as we age, the amount of RV and GL increases. Measuring these two proteins could therefore make it possible to estimate the biological age of a person, that is to say according to his health, as opposed to the chronological age which is calculated from the date of birth. Thus, such a blood test would make it possible to better understand the real aging of a person.
“Discovering that telomeres encode two new proteins will change our understanding of cancer, aging and how cells communicate with other cells, concludes Jack Griffith. Many questions remain unanswered, but our highest priority now is to develop a simple blood test for these proteins. It could tell us our biological age and also provide warning signs for problems like cancer.”
A discovery that could be important in the fight against cancer. A disease which, in 2018, killed 157,000 people in France, according to Public Health France.
