This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 677, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison.

Popular vs. Scientific:

The comparison of the popular article, “Gene Studies Hint at Link to Cancer”, found in the New York Times and the scientific article, “MicroRNA Let-7a Down-regulates MYC and Reverts MYC-induced Growth in Burkitt Lymphoma Cells”, found in the journal Cancer Research has some notable differences. At the time of the popular press article (1982), very little was known about the disease and the association of the disease with the gene known as MYC. The scientific community was not even sure of the exact mechanism of the events leading to the cancerous state. With the explosion of knowledge and technology since 1982, there have been many breakthroughs that have led to a better understanding of many genetic diseases. The comparison of these two articles contains a perfect example of those breakthroughs. Being able to silence a gene product through the interference of translation has led to a better understanding of the pathways leading to tumorigenesis. These pathways are not just useful in the studying of Burkitt Lymphoma but essentially all the cancers that MYC plays a role in.

References:
1 Schmeck Jr., H. M. (1982, October 21). Gene Studies Hint at Link to Cancer. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
2 Sampson et al. (2007) MicroRNA Let-7a Down-regulates MYC and Reverts MYC-induced Growth in Burkitt Lymphoma Cells. Cancer Research. 67(20): 9762-9770 Retrieved From: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/67/20/9762?maxtoshow=&HITS=&hits=&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=MYC+and+Burkitt+Lymphoma&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

Contact Info: Deeter Neumann, [email protected], May 14, 2009