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BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
4 September, 2005: Will women ever have a say in the shape, size and even contours of their breasts or at least of their next generation? If a study data is anything to go by, the chance for 'babes with designer breasts'’ could well be a chance in the near future.
UK scientists have discovered that a gene that can trigger the development of breasts, that may help in learning more about the progression of breast cancer, says a study published in journal Genes and Development.
The Scaramanga gene, named after the James Bond villain, is found to have a control over the development of the breasts in the embryo.
During the development of an embryo, formation of organs is tightly controlled by specific genes. This process controls the development of breasts in humans but this can go awry, resulting in fewer, extra or misplaced breasts.
"Identifying the Scaramanga gene is a real advance in our understanding of the early steps in breast formation. By learning more about this gene and the protein it produces, it will allow us to determine how normal breast development is initiated and, importantly, examine how this is connected with breast cancer," said Professor Alan Ashworth, Director of The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre.
The researchers at The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre chanced upon the gene while studying abnormal breast development in the lab. Scaramanga gene regulates the early stages of breast development, and influences the number and position of breasts, they noted.
"Whilst proteins carefully control the development of breast cells in the embryo, inappropriate signals to breast cells during adulthood by these same molecules may cause breast cancer. We already believe that the protein produced by the Scaramanga gene is linked with breast cancer and the next steps are to study this in more detail," said Ashworth.
Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple, which can resemble freckles or moles. This is a normal occurrence and does not mean anything is wrong with the person but it's important that this extra tissue is checked for abnormalities like all breast tissue, reports the study.
BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
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