Smoking Alters Gene Function
Genetic Study Shows Impact at Cellular Level
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
July 15, 2010 -- Genetic research may help explain the link between smoking and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and a host of other diseases.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers confirmed that exposure to cigarette smoke dramatically altered genes in a wide range of negative ways, including those previously linked to tumor growth, inflammatory disease, and immune system suppression.
The investigators identified 323 genes that were significantly changed by cigarette smoke.
“We have long known that smoking increases a person’s risk for cancer and depresses the immune system,” study researcher Jac. C. Charlesworth, PhD, tells WebMD. “What we show here is that smoking alters the body at the DNA level.”
Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 individual compounds, including at least five known human carcinogens and numerous other toxins.
Previous studies attempting to examine the impact of this exposure on cellular expression have been limited by their small size, Charlesworth explains. Prior to this analysis, the largest study to examine gene expression in smokers and nonsmokers included less than 100 people.
(More here.)
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
July 15, 2010 -- Genetic research may help explain the link between smoking and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and a host of other diseases.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers confirmed that exposure to cigarette smoke dramatically altered genes in a wide range of negative ways, including those previously linked to tumor growth, inflammatory disease, and immune system suppression.
The investigators identified 323 genes that were significantly changed by cigarette smoke.
“We have long known that smoking increases a person’s risk for cancer and depresses the immune system,” study researcher Jac. C. Charlesworth, PhD, tells WebMD. “What we show here is that smoking alters the body at the DNA level.”
Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 individual compounds, including at least five known human carcinogens and numerous other toxins.
Previous studies attempting to examine the impact of this exposure on cellular expression have been limited by their small size, Charlesworth explains. Prior to this analysis, the largest study to examine gene expression in smokers and nonsmokers included less than 100 people.
(More here.)
Powered by Blogger
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home