This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 677, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison.
Popular Press Review
Summary
The article "Gene Studies Hint at Link to Cancer" by Harold M. Schmeck Jr. pertained to the exposure of novel data that aided in a further understanding of cancerous processes. The breakthrough was initiated through the discovery that the myc gene, a known subject of cancer in birds, is present at the location of chromosomal abberation as observed in the human disease of Burkitt Lymphoma (BL). From the resulting data, scientists believed that the presence of myc was a constituent to chromosomal rearrangement. At the time of publication, myc was one of 15 genes identified as a transforming gene due to the ability to stimulate cultured tissue cells to form tumor-like entities which normal cells never exhibit. Also unknown at the time of the conducted studies were the exact mechanisms to which the abnormal chromosome fell victim to and most importantly why it happens.
Schmeck Jr., H. M. (1982, October 21). Gene Studies Hint at Link to Cancer. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
Response
In Response to the Schmeck Jr. article:
It was particularly interesting to read an article (having been published in 1982) that took place during an era of cancer research that lacked the resources and knowledge that the field holds today. One major factor to take into account is that in 1982 there had been no collected thoughts or tools available that would have been able to perform genomic studies of organisms.
While the popular press article does not go into the specificity of methods and procedures as a scientific publication might, through the lingo that is used it becomes obvious that there has been great advancements in the field. A perfect example of this can be found in the article as referencing the myc gene as a "transforming gene". In any up-to-date textbook it will most certainly have the genes responsible for cancer subdivided between either an oncogene or a tumor suppressor gene.
The article at times discussed the presence of the myc gene as being a determinant of a cancerous state. This brought a smirk to my face because it is well known that it is not a matter of having the gene or not but rather if the gene in question is being expressed or has a particular allele. However, the article does mention the belief that the gene is present in normal tissues as well. Whether that belief is held for the individuals who may or may not possess the gene is beyond my knowledge.
One last item to point out is that the article never comes out and directly states that the myc gene is responsible for the human phenotype of BL but rather that the abnormality in BL could be a model for cancerous activity.
Since the release of the findings presented in this article, further investigations into these matters have served great purposes throughout the interweaving fields of the scientific community.
Contact Info: Deeter Neumann, [email protected], May 14, 2009
