DNA Fence Posts Hold Back Cancer. . . and Evolution by Brian
Thomas, M.S. * New research has uncovered a tiny protein that,
when it breaks down, leads to cancer. This useful protein
attaches to DNA in certain places and serves as a marker or
“fence post.” These fence posts keep certain zones of DNA
accessible to the cell regulatory mechanisms that activate gene
expression to produce other proteins. If the protein posts are
knocked down, these regions of DNA become inaccessible and the
cells become cancerous. But how could cells have evolved if the
necessary restructuring of their DNA, and therefore of these
critical posts, would have likely led to their demise?
“Normally, a complex network of accelerators (growth factors)
and brakes (tumor suppressors) keeps a tight lid on cell
proliferation [growth and division],” stated the press release
announcing the research study’s findings.1 When these factors
are altered, the cell will grow and divide without regulation
and create a tumor. Further genetic errors in th