Cancer-Suppressing Protein Diminishes With Age
Cancer Suppressing Protein Diminishes With Age Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have found that not everything gets better with age. In this case, they point to p53, a protein known for suppressing cancer. The team discovered that
Cancer-Suppressing Protein
Diminishes With Age
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have found that not everything gets better with age. In this case, they point to p53, a protein known for suppressing cancer. The team discovered that p53 levels diminish in epithelial cells in the skin and oral cavity as the human body ages. As epithelial cells line most of the body’s organs—providing protection from potential invading cancer cells—finding a way to maintain p53 may be key to preventing cancer.
In their paper, “Regulation of p53 During Senescence in Normal Human Keratinocytes,” published online in July in Aging Cell, the authors note that 90% of human cancers originate from epithelial cells. As such, they postulate that a diminished presence of p53 in epithelial cells lining the skin and oral cavity may correlate to increased incidence of skin and oral cancers in older adults. The team asserts that further evaluation is warranted.
Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter
August 2015
