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Rare byproduct of marine bacteria kills cancer cells by snipping their DNA:
Yale University researchers have determined how a scarce molecule produced by marine bacteria can kill cancer cells, paving the way for the development of new, low-dose chemotherapies.
The molecule, lomaiviticin A, was previously shown to be lethal to cultured human cancer cells, but the mechanism of its operation remained unsolved for well over a decade. In a series of experiments, Yale scientists Seth Herzon, Peter Glazer, and colleagues show that the molecule nicks, cleaves, and ultimately destroys cancer cells' DNA, preventing replication.
"DNA is one of the primary targets of anticancer agents, and cleavage of both DNA chains is the most potent form of DNA damage," said Herzon, professor of chemistry. "But few anticancer agents are able to directly cleave DNA. The discovery that lomaiviticin A is capable of this suggests it could be very useful as a novel chemotherapy, possibly at low doses."
The abstract and paper can be found here.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday May 13 2014, @09:28AM
> DNA is one of the primary targets of anticancer agents, and cleavage
Uh huhhuhhuhuh. Huhuh.
Sorry.
Back in the Victorian era people used to go and bathe in the sea to cure their ills, leading to the birth of the traditional British seaside holiday town. I wonder if this chemical (and possibly others as yet undiscovered) are the reason that the sea was thought to have restorative powers. Maybe this scarce chemical was less scarce back in those days, before pollution and overfishing had really started to affect marine environments.
Another body of water thought to have the power to heal is the Ganges, which is is so heavily polluted that it really ought to be a toxic swamp by now. However it really does seem to have the ability to somehow mitigate the shit thrown into it and remain (more or less) drinkable. Maybe there is some other naturally occurring chemical in that river, similar to this one.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13 2014, @11:00AM
Let's bottle Ganges water and sell it to queers as Steve Jobs drinkable curative urine.
(Score: 1) by Ezber Bozmak on Tuesday May 13 2014, @11:21AM
> I wonder if this chemical (and possibly others as yet undiscovered) are the reason that the sea was thought to have restorative powers
Probably just the salt in the water. It kills certain kinds of bacteria.
> However it really does seem to have the ability to somehow mitigate the shit thrown into it and remain (more or less) drinkable.
Nah, that just sounds like hindu fundamentalism. Such denialism has been a major problem preventing the social outcry necessary to get the government there to start cleaning up the ganges. Kind of like how fundamentalist christians think god would never let humans harm the planet so global warming isn't anything to worry about.
Fun fact: The word ganja comes from the name of the river, the correct pronunciation of ganges is very close to ganja (like gahn-gah).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13 2014, @12:02PM
Fundamentalist Christians don't believe in Free Will?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13 2014, @03:51PM
If it's in consideration of behavior they disapprove of, they do.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 13 2014, @09:05PM
> Fundamentalist Christians don't believe in Free Will?
Not a matter of free will, a matter of ability, as in there is nothing that humans can do that would harm the planet. Same thing with the Ganges - nothing people can do will make it unclean because dharma.