Elephants have surprisingly low rates of cancer for their large size and long lives. Understanding how these animals have lower cancer rates may provide essential information for developing cancer treatments. Humans have one copy of the well-studied anticancer gene, p53, which can sense damaged DNA. Interestingly, elephants have 20 copies of the p53 gene that respond to DNA damage by switching on a unique gene that destroys cells instead of repairing the cell.
In a recent study, a former pseudogene called leukemia inhibitory factor 6 (LIF6), has been identified in the prevention of cancer in elephants. Elephants have eight LIF genes, with LIF6 being the known functional gene. The LIF6 gene makes a protein that creates holes in the mitochondria, the cell's main energy source, causing the cell to die. The report suggests that the LIF6 helps elephants to suppress or eliminate cancer cells, a process that may have led to the increase in size and life span of elephants. Most mammals only have one copy of the LIF gene that have various functions including proliferation of stem cells and fertility enhancement. Further studies are needed to identify additional genes related to the signaling pathways involved in the apoptosis and cell repair pathways.
Enzo Life Sciences provides a wide variety of products for your Cancer and Cellular Analysis research needs. Our platforms provide a wide range of small molecules, antibodies, and proteins. We offer a high purity, mouse recombinant LIF protein for you research needs. We also have our SCREEN-WELL® Cancer Library, a collection of 275 compounds that can be used for screening and assay development. Our cell death platform contains comprehensive solutions for apoptosis to monitor programmed cell death from membrane to nucleus. Our GFP-CERTIFIED™ Apoptosis/Necrosis Detection Kit is a multiplex assay that distinguishes between healthy, early apoptotic, late apoptotic and necrotic cells, compatible with GFP and other green fluorescent probes.
Multiplex assay that distinguishes between healthy, early apoptotic, late apoptotic and necrotic cells, compatible with GFP and other fluorescent probes (blue or cyan)
Flow Cytometry, Fluorescence microscopy, Fluorescent detection | Print as PDF