Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre shared on LinkedIn:
“More than half of our DNA is made up of ancient viral sequences that entered the human genome millions of years ago.
Most of the time, they’re kept silent. But what if understanding how that process works could help us develop new ways to treat cancer?
Researchers at Peter Mac have uncovered important new insights into how cells regulate DNA methylation – a fundamental process that helps keep these ancient viral elements switched off while maintaining genome stability.
The study, led by Dr. Jesse Balic and Professor Mark Dawson, reveals previously unknown regulators of the enzyme DNMT, providing new understanding of one of the most important processes in biology.
The findings could one day help researchers harness the body’s own antiviral response to selectively target cancer cells, while also offering insights that extend beyond medicine to fields such as agriculture.
Published in Nature Genetics, this work was made possible through collaboration with researchers from Professor Kieran Harvey’s laboratory, GSK, UT MD Anderson, Bio21 Institute, and University of Sydney.
Professor Dawson and Dr Balic are researchers at the Collaborative Centre for Genomic Cancer Medicine, a joint venture between University of Melbourne and Peter Mac.
Other articles from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on OncoDaily.