Italian researchers have made a breakthrough in the knowledge of how genes are activated that could pave the way for new treatments for hereditary diseases and cancer.
Davide Corona and Anna Sala of Palermo University say they've found a so-called 'bouncer' protein that stops genes from getting into a cell in the same way that black-clad heavies prevent undesirables from entering nightclubs.
The protein, ISWI, ''guards the doors of cells and prevents bad genes from expressing themselves,'' Sala said.
But it, in turn, is often blocked by another protein called PARP which shoves it out of the way, letting the unwanted genes run rampant.
''PARP flags ISWI, blocking its activity,'' Sala told the latest edition of Plos Biology.
''Without the ISWI, hitherto inaccessible genes are triggered,'' she said.
The researchers said it would take some time to develop treatments but noted that there were already some drugs available which blocked PARP - in theory pulling it off ISWI.
