References & Sources  -  September 19, 1998

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Methylation: Protector of the genome?

Chemically coating chromosomes with clusters of atoms called methyl groups may help guard against cancer-causing mutations.

 

References:

Chen, R.Z. . . . R. Jaenisch. 1998. DNA hypomethylation leads to elevated mutation rates. Nature 395(Sept. 3):89.

 

Further Readings:

Fackelmann, K.A. 1995. Experiment forestalls mouse colon tumors. Science News 147(April 22):246.

Lengauer. C., K.W. Kinzler, and B. Vogelstein. 1997. DNA methylation and genetic instability in colorectal cancer cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 94(March):2545.

 

Sources:

Stephen B. Baylin
Johns Hopkins Oncology Center
Department of Medicine
Baltimore, MD 21231

Rudolf Jaenisch
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technoloy
Department of Biology
Cambridge, MA 02142

From Science News, Vol. 154, No. 12, September 19, 1998, p. 189.
Copyright Ó 1998 by Science Service.

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