A gene better known for its role in preventing cancer also plays a key role in the developing embryo, where the gene prevents excessive growth of blood vessels, according to investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The gene, called Arf, prevents the accumulation of certain cells, called pericytes, that nurture the growth of blood vessels in the eye during embryonic development, the researchers said. This observation is of interest because Arf also works with a gene called p53 to trigger apoptosis--programmed suicide--in cells that have become cancerous. In the eye, however, Arf works through a second mechanism, independent of p53. The current discovery that Arf also restricts blood vessel growth in the eye of the embryo was a surprising finding because it was not linked to its known role in suppressing cancer, the researchers said. A report on this discovery appears in the online issue of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) journal.
