27
May
May
Proto-oncogenes are normal genes that become 'overactive'. One of the mechanisms that can lead to excessive expression of oncogenes is hypomethylation of DNA.
When the promoter region of a gene is methylated, it inhibits the expression of the gene. If the gene is normally inhibited (suppressed) by methylation, hypomethylation of DNA (common in cancer cells) allows the gene to become 'unsuppressed'. The resulting excessive expression of the gene makes it an "oncogene".
Answer:
Nutrition is a MAJOR factor regulating methylation. Poor diet is a major contributor to cancer risk. Methylation may be one mechanism where diet affects carcinogenesis. Report It Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList
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on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 12:49 am and is filed under Cancer Q&A.
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