By Gila Reckess
David H. Gutmann, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, genetics and pediatrics, received a four-year, $1 million grant to study the gene for neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), an inherited disorder characterized by the development of tumors in the nervous system.
This gene is also implicated in the formation of meningiomas, which originate from the meningeal lining covering the brain and is the second-most-common brain tumor in adults. The research is funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Because individuals with NF2 develop several varieties of tumors, the responsible gene is thought to be involved in tumor growth. When it does not function properly, nerve cells grow and proliferate.
Gutmann and his colleagues were among the first to demonstrate that NF2 regulates tumor growth, and they identified several proteins that may help NF2 do its job. From these findings, researchers now understand that the NF2 gene plays a critical role in the beginning stages of tumor development. They believe it determines which messages are transmitted to the interior of the cell from the external environment and which are not.
"That's where we'd like to target future therapy," Gutmann said. "If you can hit a tumor when it's young and slow growing, you might be able to eradicate it completely."
Gutmann believes finding out how the NF2 gene normally prevents cells from piling up on each other might clarify the processes by which cancer cells form and grow. "In a subway car, you stop piling people in when you sense that they are close together," Gutmann said. "Cancer cells lose their ability to sense their nearest neighbors and keep piling more people into the car. The result is a tumor that continues growing no matter how crowded it gets."
Because NF2 is the first gene known to influence the beginning stages of tumor formation, Gutmann hopes his research will open the door to understanding a whole family of proteins involved in tumor development. A clear picture of the initial stages of this process will help researchers develop targeted treatments, he said.
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