Seven new genes for head and neck cancer discovered

In a breakthrough, scientists have used a novel RNA technique to discover seven new tumour-suppressor genes for head and neck cancers whose role was previously unknown.

The technique developed by Rockefeller University's Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development can eliminate the random bystander genes and identify the ones that are critical for cancer, researchers said.

Applying the technique to head and neck cancers, scientists found seven new tumour-suppressor genes whose role in cancer was previously unknown.

The new technique, which the lab recently applied to a screen for skin tumour genes, is particularly useful because it takes a fraction of the resources and much less time than the traditional method for determining gene function - breeding genetically modified animals to study the impact of missing genes.

"Using knockout mice, which are model organisms bred to have a particular gene missing, is not feasible when there are 800 potential head and neck cancer genes to sort through," said Daniel Schramek, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab.

"It can take about two years per gene. Our method can assess about 300 genes in a single mouse, in as little as five weeks," Schramek.

The researchers made use of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference, a natural process whereby RNA molecules inhibit gene expression.

They took short pieces of RNA which are able to turn off the function of specific genes, attached them to highly concentrated viruses, and then, using ultrasound to guide the needle without damaging surrounding tissue, they injected the viruses into the sacs of mouse embryos.

When the mice grew, the researchers determined which genes, when turned off, were promoting tumour growth, and what they found was surprising.

"Among the seven novel tumour suppressor genes we found, our strongest hit was Myh9, which codes for the protein myosin IIa, a motor protein with well-known function in cell structure and cell migration," said Schramek.

"Through further functional studies we found that myosin IIa is also required for activation of the main guardian of the genome - a tumour suppressor protein called p53," said Schramek.

The lab showed that when the myosin IIa gene was mutated, p53 was not able to build up in the cell nucleus, and chaos ensued: genes responsible for repairing damaged cells and killing off tumour cells were not activated, and invasive carcinomas spread within three months.

The researchers devised a strategy to reactivate p53 in these cells, and showed in vitro that tumour suppression was restored.

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Maternal exercise benefits newborn brain development

Though pregnant women are advised to consult their doctor before beginning an exercise program, researchers  have found that expectant mothers who exercise at least 20 minutes three times per week could be giving their child a head-start, cerebrally speaking.

"Our research indicates that exercise during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development," says a  Prof. 

He notes that comparable results have been found in animal studies, but theirs is the first trial in humans to show the link between exercise during pregnancy and benefits for the brains of newborns.

Prof. , who also helped conduct the research, notes: "Given that exercise has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the adult's brain, we hypothesized that it could also be beneficial for the unborn child through the mother's actions."

To conduct their research, the team randomly assigned women starting at the beginning of their second trimester to either an exercise group or a sedentary group.

The women in the exercise group completed at least 20 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise that resulted in at least a slight shortness of breath three times per week, while the women in the sedentary group did not exercise.

'Mature cerebral activation'

After the births of the newborns, the researchers analysed their brain activity between the ages of 8 to 12 days. They used electroencephalography, allowing them to record the electrical activity of the newborns' brains.

The team placed 124 soft electrodes on each infant's head and then waited for each baby to fall asleep in his or her mother's lap, after which they measured "auditory memory" via the brain's "unconscious response" to both repeated and new sounds.

other researches who also conducted the research, reveals their findings: "Our results show that the babies born from the mothers who were physically active have a more mature cerebral activation, suggesting that their brains developed more rapidly."

The researchers note that although in the recent past, obstetricians told pregnant women to mostly rest for 9 months, it is now commonly known that inactivity can create health risks.

"While being sedentary increases the risks of suffering complications during pregnancy," says Prof. "being active can ease post-partum recovery, make pregnancy more comfortable and reduce the risk of obesity in the children."

Hopes for public health interventions

Prof. says he hopes their results will "guide public health interventions and research on brain plasticity." He adds that they are "optimistic that this will encourage women to change their health habits, given that the simple act of exercising during pregnancy could make a difference for their child's future."

He told Medical News Today that the "advanced cerebral maturation" the researchers observed in newborns of active mothers "could imply that babies acquire speech more rapidly, and the same could be true for their motor development." He noted that this could also help with their "intellectual and social development"

The team is continuing to assess the children's cognitive, motor and language development at 1-year-old, in order to determine if these brain differences remain over longer periods of time.

Mothers who exercise will gain additional benefits, as it was recently reported that new findings revealed exercise may ward off Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. 

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Struggles With Motor Skills Compound Social Problems in Autism

Problems with motor skills such as throwing and catching can add to the social struggles faced by children with autism, a new study says.

It included 35 children, aged 6 to 15, with autism who were considered high-functioning and attended typical school classes. The children underwent tests for two types of motor skills: object-control motor skills that involve precise action such as catching or throwing; and locomotion skills such as running and walking.

The children who struggled with object-control motor abilities were more likely to have more severe problems with social and communications skills that those with better object-control motor skills, according to the study.

"So much of the focus on autism has been on developing social skills, and that is very crucial," lead author said.

"Yet we also know there is a link between motor skills and autism, and how deficits in these physical skills play into this larger picture is not clearly understood," said  an expert on the movement skills of children with autism.

She said the findings add to the growing body of research highlighting the link between autism and motor skill problems.

"Something which seems as simple as learning to ride a bike can be crucial for a child with autism," . "Being able to ride a bike means more independence and autonomy. They can ride to the corner store or ride to a friend's house. Those kind of small victories are huge."

Physical activity is linked not only to health, but to social skills and mental well-being, she noted.

The good news is that motor skills can be taught.

"We have programs and interventions that we know work, and have measurable impact on motor skill development," she said. "We need to make sure we identify the issue and get a child help as early as possible."

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