What does Brad Pitt have in common with a fruit fly? His Hollywood hairstyles cover a prominent cowlick – the swirl of hair that is caused by a patterning mechanism also active in our two-winged friends – that similarly feature “polarized” hair patterns.
In new research led by Michigan State University and featured in the current issue of Scientific Reports, researchers have discovered that these polarity genes, which do more than create cowlicks, are regulated by a tumor suppressor protein. On the macro scale, their presence can be seen in feather and fish scale patterns. On the cellular level, they are directly regulated by a cancer protein, the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein.
A combination of two medicines long used for treating other illnesses can stop the growth of a deadly childhood cancer, according to a recent study by a Michigan State University College of Human Medicine researcher who has a history of finding new uses for old drugs.
Laboratory tests on cell cultures showed that the drugs DFMO and sulfasalazine effectively impeded the growth of neuroblastoma, which causes about 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths.