![Mutation Protects Certain Cells]()
Cell competition can occur when tissues contain both normal and abnormal cells. It may contribute to the early growth or elimination of tumors, for example, and to how many genetic errors accumulate during aging. Nicholas E. Baker, Ph.D., is using fruit flies to study cell competition. In a paper published online on January 8 in Developmental Cell, he and his colleagues looked at competition involving cells with mutated ribosomal proteins. Such proteins are also mutated in human diseases (ribosomopathies) and in cancer. They found that the ribosomal protein S12 was unusual because cells heterozygous for this mutation resisted competition from wild-type cells. The researchers concluded that in the competition between wild-type cells and cells containing mutated ribosomal proteins, the S12 ribosomal protein sends a signal promoting cell competition. Dr. Baker is professor of genetics, of developmental and molecular biology and of ophthalmology and visual sciences and the paper’s corresponding author. Dr. Baker also holds the Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Genetics. The paper’s first author, Abhijit Kale, Ph.D., was a doctoral student in Dr. Baker’s lab.
Posted on: Tuesday, February 06, 2018