Gao Jianxin et al. found that PIWIL2 plays an important role in tumorigenesis

Recently, a new breakthrough has been made in the field of new tumor genes led by Prof. Jianxin Gao from the Stem Cell Research Center of Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. The germline stem cell gene PIWIL2 is thought to play an important role in the early development of tumors.

According to relevant sources, this may provide new means and approaches for the early prevention and treatment of cancer in the future.

As the largest killer of human health, tumors have attracted widespread attention from scientists and researchers around the world. The occurrence of tumors begins with gene mutations in the cells after DNA damage, resulting in changes in cell function and inability to control cell proliferation. DNA damage occurs every day in the human body. After damage, the body's own mechanisms repair it and become a natural barrier to early prevention of cancer.

Studies have found that DNA repair processes are related to chromatin melting, activation of repair proteins and accumulation to the site of injury. At present, the research on DNA self-repair in the world focuses on chromatin relaxation and the repair process after melting. For the key steps in the early stages of DNA repair, the mechanism of how chromatin relaxes and melts is poorly understood.

The person concerned told reporters that under normal conditions, PIWIL2 is only expressed in testis germ cells and spermatogonia. In 2010, the team found that the PIWIL2 gene's ectopic, dissociation-activated and produced Piwil2-like (PL2L) protein is involved in the development of cancer stem cells. Recently, they also found that the PIWIL2 gene plays a very important role in the repair of DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and chemical agents.

Professor Gao Jianxin said that in the absence of DNA damage, the PIWIL2 gene in cells is basically silent. When DNA damage is caused by acute radiation or chemical drugs, the originally silenced PIWIL2 gene is transiently activated and involved in the regulation of chromatin relaxation, melting, and DNA repair. Relaxation of tight double-chain structure of chromatin of cells is the key to achieve accurate and effective repair of chromatin inside other proteins. After repair, the PIWIL2 gene returned to its original level.

For defective cells, when the damaged DNA fails to melt successfully due to the lack of PIWIL2 gene, it cannot complete the repair of DNA. At this time, the cells may go to aging, apoptosis, or transform into tumor cells and lose their own cells. The function of splitting control leads to tumor formation.

Since this repair process is in the early stage of tumor development, the researchers believe that elucidating the role of PIWIL2 gene in DNA repair process will provide a new perspective for further studying the biological function of PIWIL2 gene and the potential means of cancer prevention and treatment. In addition, the researchers also pointed out that PIWIL2 gene may be used as a new biomarker in the future to detect and evaluate the damage caused by acute radiation.

The research results were published in the "PLoS ONE" magazine on November 16, 2011. The participating researchers were from the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and the Department of Radiation Oncology of the University of California, Davis.