View in EDS

Cancer in the parasitic protozoans Trypanosoma brucei and Toxoplasma gondii.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Cancer in the parasitic protozoans Trypanosoma brucei and Toxoplasma gondii.
Authors: Zhao-Rong Lun1,2,3 lsslzr@mail.sysu.edu.cn, De-Hua Lai1, Yan-Zi Wen1, Ling-Ling Zheng1, Ji-Long Shen4, Ting-Bo Yang1, Wen-Liang Zhou1, Liang-Hu Qu1, Hide, Geoff3 g.hide@salford.ac.uk, Ayala, Francisco J.5 fjayala@uci.edu
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 7/21/2015, Vol. 112 Issue 29, p8835-8842. 8p.
Subjects: Cancer research, Trypanosoma brucei, Toxoplasma gondii, Cancer cells, Vertebrates
Abstract: Cancer is a general name for more than 100 malignant diseases. It is postulated that all cancers start from a single abnormal cell that grows out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious conse- quences and deaths. Great progress has been made in cancer research that has significantly improved our knowledge and understanding of the nature and mechanisms of the disease, but the origins of cancer are far from being well understood due to the limitations of suitable model systems and to the complexities of the disease. In view of the fact that cancers are found in various species of vertebrates and other metazoa, here, we suggest that cancer also occurs in parasitic protoz- oans such as Trypanosoma brucei, a blood parasite, and Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular pathogen. Without treatment, these protozoan cancers may cause severe disease and death in mammals, including humans. The simpler genomes of these single-cell organ- isms, in combination with their complex life cycles and fascinating life cycle differentiation processes, may help us to better understand the origins of cancers and, in particular, leukemias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
Description
Abstract:Cancer is a general name for more than 100 malignant diseases. It is postulated that all cancers start from a single abnormal cell that grows out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious conse- quences and deaths. Great progress has been made in cancer research that has significantly improved our knowledge and understanding of the nature and mechanisms of the disease, but the origins of cancer are far from being well understood due to the limitations of suitable model systems and to the complexities of the disease. In view of the fact that cancers are found in various species of vertebrates and other metazoa, here, we suggest that cancer also occurs in parasitic protoz- oans such as Trypanosoma brucei, a blood parasite, and Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular pathogen. Without treatment, these protozoan cancers may cause severe disease and death in mammals, including humans. The simpler genomes of these single-cell organ- isms, in combination with their complex life cycles and fascinating life cycle differentiation processes, may help us to better understand the origins of cancers and, in particular, leukemias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00278424
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1502599112