Two Proteins May Help Fight Skin Cancer

Mar 19, 01:37 PM

Current Headlines: U.S. researchers have identified two proteins that might help the body protect itself against skin cancer.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine study indicates the proteins, named Timeless and Tipin, form a complex that regulates the rate at which DNA is replicated after exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Ultraviolet radiation can damage skin cells and, if left unrepaired by the cell, it can cause cancerous mutations.

But before cells begin to divide, they must replicate their DNA to form new daughter cells. If damage in the DNA is discovered even after the cell has started to replicate its DNA, the Timeless/Tipin complex sends a signal that slows the replication. That slowdown, said the researchers, might give the cell additional time to repair its DNA and potentially save itself from becoming cancerous or from dying in response to ultraviolet radiation.

The study appears in the advance online edition of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology.