New Insights Revealed On Cell Division And Cancer

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 02 Oct 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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University of Leicester research which substantially increases our understanding of what causes cell division to go wrong and lead to cancer will be highlighted in a public lecture at the University on Wednesday 14th October at 5.30-6.30pm.

Dr Suzanna Prosser, a winner of the University's School of Biological Sciences Prize for Excellent PhD Performance in 2009, and an award for a presentation of her work at the Festival of Postgraduate Research at Leicester in 2007, will introduce the background and importance of faithful cell division and the consequences arising from the presence of too many centrosomes in her Doctoral Inaugural Lecture.

A centrosome is a component of cells that has a crucial role in maintaining the fidelity of cell division. Dr Prosser will explain how centrosome over-duplication occurs and pinpoint how it can be prevented in cancer cells.

Dr Prosser's talk, 'Dissecting a pathway that leads to cell division catastrophe in cancer', will outline her research into a process that drives genetic instability and cancer progression, using state-of-the-art microscope imaging techniques to study mechanisms that control the division of cancer cells.

Cell division is the biological basis of life and describes the process by which cells equally segregate their genetic material between two daughter cells. If this goes wrong or becomes uncontrolled it can lead to cancer.

Dr Prosser explained: "The centrosome helps to form the scaffold-like structure that segregates the chromosomes into the two daughter cells.

"It is paramount that at the time of division there are only two centrosomes present so that the scaffold assembles correctly and chromosomes are segregated evenly. The presence of too many centrosomes can be catastrophic. Chromosomes will be unevenly distributed leading to genetic instability and cancer progression.

"Following cell division each cell inherits a single centrosome that must duplicate in a highly regulated fashion so that there are two present by the time the cell divides again. If this process becomes deregulated centrosomes can over-duplicate so that an aberrant scaffold structure is formed and the chromosomes incorrectly distributed.

"It is important to understand how too many centrosomes arise as cancer cells are characterized by both abnormal chromosome content and extra centrosomes, which together contribute to cancer progression and drug resistance.

"Using an assay that models how centrosomes over-duplicate in cancer cells, together with the advanced microscope imaging facilities available in the Department of Biochemistry, I have described a stepwise pathway that leads to centrosome amplification.

"This substantially increases our understanding of how extra centrosomes are generated in cells, whilst identifying key events that may be targeted to prevent centrosome over-duplication in cancer cells."

During her lecture, Dr Prosser will introduce the background and importance of faithful cell division and the consequences arising from the presence of too many centrosomes. She will then go on to explain how centrosome over-duplication occurs and pinpoint how it can be prevented in cancer cells.

Dr Suzanna Prosser's lecture, 'Dissecting a pathway that leads to cell division catastrophe in cancer', will take place at the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre in the Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester, on Wednesday 14th October at 5.30-6.30pm.

The lecture is open to the public and free of charge.

Source
University of Leicester

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