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Genes, cancer and methylation

Could cancer be in your genes?


If you read my previous blog about methylation, you would see how important

proper methylation is for the health of your body.


Now I want to bring in how improper methylation can trigger cancer

responses in your body. Before we get there, we need to take it riiiiiiiiight

back. Let’s first understand our genes a bit better…


Your DNA is the material in your cells that is the building blocks for your

genes. Genes are the instructions that tell each cell how to grow, develop,

and work. Some things your genes control are:


  • How fast each cell grows

  • How often it divides to make new cells

  • How long it lives


The genes in each cell are arranged in structures called chromosomes.




What are chromosomes?

Your chromosomes are the structures your genes are organized on. You can

think of genes like pages in a book. The chromosome is the book the pages

are in.


Each person typically has 46 chromosomes total. They are in groups of 2, so

you have 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair comes

from your mother, and the other comes from your father.


One pair of the body's chromosomes are the sex chromosomes. The male

pair has an X and a Y chromosome. In the female pair, the 2 chromosomes

are both typically X.


The other 22 pairs of chromosomes are called autosomes. They determine

other characteristics, such as hair color, height, and more.


How do our genes work?

Genes tell your cells what to do. They do this by making substances called

proteins. Each protein has a specific job to do in your body. To make its

protein correctly, each gene needs the right information. If it has this, it can

make proteins that work the way they are supposed to.


Cancer starts when one or more genes in a cell change, or mutate. Different

names for this include gene mutations or pathogenic variants. When this

happens, the protein it makes is abnormal. Or it may not be made at all. Your

body receives either no information or abnormal information. This can make

cells multiply out of control and cause cancer.


Are there specific cancer genes?

Some gene variants, or mutations, are linked with cancer. These include

mutations in the specific types of genes below.

Tumour suppressor genes. Genes that protect against cancer are called

tumour suppressor genes. They normally limit how much a cell can grow.


They do this by:


  • Controlling how fast cells divide to make new cells

  • Fixing mistakes in DNA

  • Controlling when a cell dies


Variants in a tumour suppressor gene can allow cells to grow out of control.

These cells can eventually form a tumour.


Some tumour suppressor genes are BRCA1, BRCA2, and p53 or TP53. If a

mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes is passed down from your parents,

you have a greater risk of hereditary breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate

cancer. Mutations in these genes also raise the risk of melanoma.




The most common tumour suppressor gene that mutates in people with

cancer is p53 or TP53. This gene is missing or damaged in more than half of

all cancers. Inherited p53 mutations are rare. If you have one, you have a

greater risk of many different types of cancer.


Oncogenes. Mutations in certain genes can turn a healthy cell into a cancer

cell. These mutations are not known to be inherited.

Two common oncogenes are:


  • HER2. This gene makes a protein that controls cancer growth. It is

found in some cancer cells, such as some breast and ovarian cancer

cells. If a breast cancer is HER2 negative it means the HER2 gene is

not making this needed protein.


  • The RAS family of genes. These genes make proteins that help cells

communicate with each other, grow normally, and die when they are

supposed to. Mutations in these genes can turn healthy cells into

cancer cells.


DNA repair genes. DNA repair genes fix mistakes that happen when your

DNA is copied. DNA copying happens when cells divide normally to make

new cells. Many DNA repair genes work like tumour suppressor genes do.

They limit how much the cell can grow. BRCA1, BRCA2, and p53 are all DNA

repair genes.


If one of your DNA repair genes has a mutation, mistakes in DNA do not get

corrected. This means mutations can develop, and eventually lead to cancer.

This is especially true if the mutation is in a tumour suppressor gene or an

oncogene.


You can inherit a mutation in a DNA repair gene, or it can happen on its own

over your lifetime.



 

Methylation and Cancer



This is all fascinating, but how does it relate to cancer?


Methylation plays an interesting and important role in cancer development.

Cancer develops largely as a result of an undoing of normal gene expression.

Instead of healthy development and aging governed by patterned and

controlled gene regulation, cancer is birthed from unbalanced and chaotic

gene expression. There are generally areas of hyper-methylation and hypo-

methylation. Important suppressing genes become de-activated through

hyper-methylation while other harmful genes are activated uncontrollably with

significant hypo-methylation.


Although complex, methylation is very interesting to researchers because it is

identifiable, reversible and has strong links to cancer. Conclusive research

has shown that MTHFR mutation and compromised methylation does lead to

higher incidences of cancer. Similarly, a balanced (not too much or too little)

folate (Vitamin B9) profile is associated with a reduced rate of cancer.



Now if you remember from my previous blog on Methylation – it plays a major

role in DNA expression. Gene expression is the process by which the

information encoded in a gene is turned into a function. Think of poor

methylation as interference in the communication between genes… it’s like

baking a cake, except the recipe you have is written in Spanish…


The good news is we can help! Let us be your helping hand through your

health journey by:

1. Genetic testing is CRUCIAL! By doing a genetic test, this unlocks the

door to your future! We offer genetic testing here at our centre!

2. Booking a Full Body Analysis allows us to see the cellular response in

your body! So we can see if there are any inflammatory responses

coming up that may be a contributing factor.

3. If you currently have a positive diagnosis for cancer, then allow us to

carefully create a treatment plan for you…


So why wait? Book NOW! We are waiting for your call






***Reference:

and-cancer

and-genetics

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