In order to survive, cancer cells need to rely on glucose as their own "rations", and because the energy generated by the digestion of glucose by cancer cells is less than 15% of that of normal cells, cancer cells need to ingest more glucose than normal cells, so they need to load more glucose transporter GLUT 1 to complete the process of transporting glucose from outside cells to inside cells.
Therefore, if the composition, structure and working mechanism of the transporter GLUT 1 can be clearly studied, it is possible to artificially intervene the glucose transport by regulating it, which can not only increase the glucose supply in normal cells to achieve the purpose of treating related diseases, but also inhibit the growth of cancer cells by specifically blocking the glucose supply of cancer cells.
Yan Ning also stressed: "Many diseases have complicated causes, especially cancer is the most complicated disease, and our scientific research is very basic. It is a long way from basic scientific research to transformation. However, through many basic scientific research achievements and gradually accumulating clues, we can better understand the pathogenesis and hope that it will eventually be possible to cure the disease. "
Telomeres are too long to cause cancer.
According to the latest genome research led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), two common gene mutations will lengthen telomeres, but they will also greatly increase the risk of glioma and brain cancer. Previously, many scientists believed that the function of telomeres was only to prevent cell aging and keep cells healthy. Related papers were published online on the recent website Nature-Genetics.
On June 8th, 20 14, these two gene variants were TERT (telomere reverse transcriptase) and TERC (telomerase) respectively, and 5 1% people carried TERT mutation and 72% people carried TERC mutation. These two genes have the function of regulating telomere behavior, and they are enzymes that maintain telomere length. This risk gene mutation carried by most people is still rare. Researchers believe that carriers of these mutant genes have longer telomeres, so the whole cell is stronger, but it also increases the risk of developing high-grade glioma.