Elephants’ cancer-protection secret may be in the genes
The pachyderms’ low disease rates linked to high dose of tumor blockers
By Meghan Rosen
Elephants’ genetic instruction books include a hefty chapter on fighting cancer.
The massive mammals have about 20 copies of TP53, a gene that codes for a potent tumor-blocking protein, researchers analyzing elephant DNA report October 8 in JAMA. Humans have just one copy of TP53.
An extra dose (or 19) of the anticancer gene may explain why elephants have unusually low cancer rates, say Joshua Schiffman, a pediatric oncologist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues.