Gene for skin cancer found in fish

A mutated gene in zebrafish is responsible for increasing susceptibility to epithelial cancers.

Doctors at The Children's Hospital (Boston) have identified a mutated gene in zebrafish that increases susceptibility to epithelial cancers.

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Reporting their findings in G&D, Dr Leonard Zon and his colleagues attributed the segregation of chromosomes during cell division to a mitotic checkpoint gene called separase.

They said that mutations in separase resulted in chromosomal instability, and increased epithelial tumour load after exposure to carcinogens.

"Our work is the first evidence that separase acts as a tumour suppresser gene and further supports a role for genes that regulate genomic stability in tumour development," claimed lead author, Dr Jennifer Shepard.