Gene Found to Increase Risk For Childhood Cancer

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209910.php

A common form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma was recently found to be heavily influenced by the LMO1 gene. Small variations of the gene can increase the risk and aggressiveness of the cancer. The gene LMO1 is found on chromosome 11, and genes similar to LMO1 have been linked to other cancers. Mutations of LMO1 not only put children at risk for neuroblastoma, but once the cancer is there, the gene acts like a oncogene,  preventing cancer cells from "self-destructing" and allowing them to divide, thus spreading the cancer. When the scientists increased expression of the gene, there was an increase in tumor growth, however, when the gene's activity was limited, the growth of the cancer cells was slowed. The researchers founds that SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms,  were the common mutation that caused this predisposition for neuroblastoma. This just shows that a single misprint in a single gene can have catastrophic effects on the whole person.