A new tumor-suppressor gene has been discovered by a team of researchers at Penn State, which also has discovered how the gene works with another tumor suppressor to control tissue growth. The team’s genetic and biochemical studies will be published in the 11 March 2005 issue of the journal Cell. “This discovery extends our understanding of how tissue growth is controlled both during normal development and during the formation of tumors, and it raises the possibility that the function of this gene may have important implications for the understanding and treatment of human cancers,” says research leader Zhi-Chun Lai, associate professor of biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology.
