2023-08-10 06:57:59
2023-08-10 14:57:59 Edited by Lin Youmin, Chief Editor of Yuanqi.com Henrietta Lacks
How long can cancer cells survive? According to a recent report on the BBC News Chinese fan page:
In 1951, cells from the cervix of an African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks were harvested without her knowledge and have since been replicated indefinitely.
It was not until decades later that her family discovered that Henrietta Lacks had not agreed to the subsequent use when her cells were collected, so her family contacted Thermo Fisher, a technology company headquartered in Massachusetts. ) to file a lawsuit and strive for related compensation until a formal settlement is reached on July 31, 2023. “BBC News Chinese” mentioned:
Ben Crump, an attorney representing Lacks’ family, said the doctor’s surgery left Lacks suffering in his final days. “The history of American medical experimentation is often the history of medical racism,” he said.
In 2021, the World Health Organization presented Lacks’ son with a special award in recognition of her world-changing legacy.
Immortal HeLa cells survive for more than 72 years and can still replicate
From 1951 to 2023, 72 years have passed since the collection. In the past 72 years, this cervical cancer cell has been widely used in various cancer-related research under the name of Hela cell. In addition to cancer, it has also promoted the development of polio vaccine, and has been used in love Advances in HIV and infertility research.
But why do cancer cells survive for so long? Let’s start with “cell division”.
In eukaryotic cells, there is a nucleus, and the most important thing in the nucleus is DNA, so when the cell needs to undergo cell division, the DNA in the nucleus also needs to be replicated. During the process of DNA replication, often due to the replication mechanism , and a small segment is missing. Scientists have discovered that in order to resist this defect, cells will have a series of meaningless DNA at the end of the DNA. They have no effect on gene expression and can prevent normal genes from being damaged by DNA replication defects. Scientists help this paragraph of meaningless DNA called telomeres.
To put it simply, as long as the telomeres are long enough, normal genes will not be damaged during DNA replication, but one day the telomeres will be consumed, and at this time, the original normal genes will be easily damaged. Some scientists believe that this is what we call A recognized phenomenon of aging.
Cancer cells activate telomerase, opening the way to immortality
An article in Academia Sinica’s “Research with Things” is titled “Deciphering Childhood Cancer: How ALT Cancer Cells Extend Telomeres and Evade the Immune System?” ” mentioned:
As telomeres shorten, somatic cells continue to age until the telomeres become unusable and the cell’s life comes to an end. In somatic cells, telomere shortening is an irreversible process, and cellular aging cannot be stopped.
However, in germ cells and embryonic stem cells, there is an enzyme called telomerase, which can add the “TTAGGG” sequence back to telomeres, so telomeres can be replenished, maintained, and even become longer! Therefore, germ cells and embryonic stem cells can divide more often than somatic cells.
The key to why cancer cells do not go to the end of apoptosis lies in the ability to lengthen telomeres. Cancer cells, like germ cells, possess abundant telomerase activity. Therefore, during the division process of cancer cells, the consumed telomeres can still be continuously replenished. Therefore, cancer cells have the ability to divide infinitely and maintain their optimal physiological state.
In short, by activating telomerase, cancer cells open up the possibility of immortality. Therefore, more and more researches hope that by inhibiting the activation of telomerase, cancer cells can be killed.
Can cancer die on its own without treatment? !
Through these understandings of cancer cells, we can clearly know that under normal circumstances, cancer cells will not die by themselves. Therefore, the body will use the immune system to catch these cells that have betrayed the body and destroy them. However, there is also a gap in Baimi. When cancer cells escape the capture of the immune system, they will start to divide and become a threat to themselves. At this time, cancer cells will find resources by themselves and pull blood vessels into the area where cancer cells grow. Become the overlord of one party in the body.
This is why in the process of treating cancer, it is necessary to eliminate cancer cells through surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and even targeted drugs and cellular immunotherapy. Through surgery, cancer cells can be removed on a large scale, and through other treatments, scattered cancer cells around the tumor, as well as cancer cells that have escaped to the lymph and blood, can be removed.
Once you are diagnosed with cancer, the best strategy is to discuss it with your doctor and maintain a good daily routine; when you have physical and mental problems, you should also cooperate with professionals such as physical and mental physicians and psychologists in a timely manner, so that you can survive the fight once morest cancer smoothly period.
References:
Telomerase, Immortality, and Cancer:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11193292/
Academia Sinica and Research Institute:https://research.sinica.edu.tw/telomere-cgas-sting-pathway-liuh-yow-chen/
Targeting telomerase for cancer therapy：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41388-020-0140
Editor in charge: Gu Zihuan
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