ELEPHANT, which scientists say should have been extinct today, was able to survive. The logic of extinction is obtained by looking at the size of the body and life expectancy of elephants, which should make the animals susceptible to cancer.
However, a team of scientists said they discovered the reason why elephants rarely suffer from the deadly disease.
In the US study, it was revealed that the elephant has developed an extra copy of a gene known as P53. That is what actually protect elephants from cancer.
The elephant conditions quite different from humans. Humans only have two copies of the gene, whereas in the elephant's body contained 38 version.
Thus, according to research results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the reserves are almost always certain genes trigger cancer cells turn off the cell itself before it can develop into a dangerous tumor.
"Based on all logical reasoning, elephants should have the potential to suffer a lot of cancer, and in fact, the elephant should have been extinct since the risk of cancer are high," said lead researcher, Dr Joshua Schiffman, a cancer specialist at the Department of Medicine, University of Utah, USA, as AFP news agency.
"We believe the presence of the P53 more it is a natural way to preserve the species," he said.
Researchers hope the findings could pave the way for new therapies to fight cancer in humans.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar