Flipping the "Off" Switch On Cell Growth: Protein Uses Multiple Means to Help Cells Cope When Oxygen Runs Low, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Study

A protein known for turning on genes to help cells survive low-oxygen conditions also slows down the copying of new DNA strands, thus shutting down the growth of new cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report. Their discovery has wide-ranging implications, they say, given the importance of this copying -- known as DNA replication -- and new cell growth to many of the body's functions and in such diseases as cancer.