【资源】吸烟妨碍体内抗癌基因发挥功能

吸烟直接妨碍了人体内抗癌基因p16的功能发挥。科学家提供的这一证据首次在基因水平上指出了吸烟有害健康。

—— Docofsoul




Changes caused by smoking block tumour-fighting genes

  13:10 12 October 2010 by Nic Fleming
  For similar stories, visit the Cancer Topic Guide

吸烟妨碍体内抗癌基因

撰文：Nic Fleming

译者：Docofsoul

《新科学家》2010年10月12日13:10报道













The first direct evidence has been found linking smoking to epigenetic changes in genes that help fight cancer. Reversing these changes may one day provide a new route to treating cancer.

科学家首次发现了吸烟与抗癌基因表观变化存在关联的直接证据。逆转这些变化可能有朝一日为治疗癌症提供新的途径。

（表观遗传学图片）


Women with cervical cancer are known to have higher levels of epigenetic modifications – methyl groups attached to particular sites on their DNA – affecting a gene called p16, which is known to be involved in suppressing tumours.

已知罹患宫颈癌的女性具有更高水平的表观遗传学改变 —— 甲基粘附于DNA特定位点 —— 从而影响与抑制肿瘤有关的 p16 基因。

To find out more, Yuk Ting Ma at the University of Birmingham, UK, re-analysed samples from a series of cervical smear tests taken over four years from 1075 women. Ma found evidence of p16 methylation in the cervical cells of 37 per cent of smokers compared to 9.3 per cent of non-smokers. Women who started smoking during the study were 3.7 times more likely to acquire p16 methylation than non-smokers.

为了更多地发现，英国伯明翰大学的Yuk Ting Ma重新分析了来自系列宫颈涂片测试的四年多来提取自1075名女性的样本。Ma从中发现了p16甲基化的证据：37%的吸烟者的宫颈细胞出现了p16甲基化，相比之下不吸烟者只有9.3%。在本研究期间开始吸烟的女性，其p16甲基化的可能性是不吸烟者的3.7倍。

In two-thirds of the 19 smokers with p16 methylation who gave up smoking during the trial, the methylation disappeared. This suggests not only that smoking caused the changes, but also that it might be possible to reverse them before they lead to cancer.

19名p16出现甲基化的吸烟者在试验期间戒烟，结果有三分之二的人甲基化现象消失了。这提示：吸烟不仅仅引起了表观遗传学变化，而且在癌变之前有可能被逆转。

The results were presented on Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Milan, Italy.

本研究结果于周六在意大利米兰召开的欧洲肿瘤医学学会（European Society for Medical Oncology）会议上宣读。

（Docofsoul 译于 2010年10月13日星期三）

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101007141114.htm