Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Investigating the relationship between normal Neural crest and tumor development

Kyknas, Michail (2020) MOBN02 20201
Degree Projects in Molecular Biology
Popular Abstract
Can normal development help us understand tumor initiation?

The field of developmental biology studies the complex processes by which organisms grow. Embryology is one of its subfields and investigates how organisms develop from the moment the egg is fertilized to the later embryonic stages. Embryonic development can sometimes be abnormal and lead to cancer formation.

In higher animals, following the early stages of development, three distinct cell layers are formed, the so-called germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These structures are the source of all adult tissues and organs. Each layer is responsible for producing different types of cells. A cell population, called the neural crest (NC), is only found in vertebrates.... (More)
Can normal development help us understand tumor initiation?

The field of developmental biology studies the complex processes by which organisms grow. Embryology is one of its subfields and investigates how organisms develop from the moment the egg is fertilized to the later embryonic stages. Embryonic development can sometimes be abnormal and lead to cancer formation.

In higher animals, following the early stages of development, three distinct cell layers are formed, the so-called germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These structures are the source of all adult tissues and organs. Each layer is responsible for producing different types of cells. A cell population, called the neural crest (NC), is only found in vertebrates. It is often referred as “the fourth germ layer” and was first identified in late 1800s. NC has unique properties and plays a crucial role in normal development. After its formation, cells of the NC detach and travel throughout the whole embryo. After reaching different locations they can produce cells with different properties. Cells that originate from the NC are divided into four subpopulations: cranial, vagal, trunk, and sacral. Each group of cells gives rise to various types of cells. This process of differentiation is controlled by many factors and the surrounding environment. Small changes can lead to abnormal development and cause a disease.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that affects children and is a result of abnormalities in the NC and specifically the trunk subpopulation. NB accounts for 7-10 % of all the pediatric cancer cases and is responsible for 15% of cancer-related deaths in children. It is clinically divided into five stages with different treatment and prognosis. Although scientists have established that NB derives from the NC, the events that lead to tumor formation are still unknown. Researchers focus their studies on the trunk neural crest cells and the precise mechanisms that altogether contribute to the normal embryonic development. Similarities between neural crest cells and tumor cells make the NC a good model for understanding this disease.

Trunk neural crest specific gene X
Gene X was first identified in 1998 and it has been found to be present in trunk NC. The precise physiological function of X is however still unknown. Preliminary data from the Mohlin lab indicate that X has a role in embryogenesis and we used chick embryos and neuroblastoma cell lines to manipulate the presence of X and find out how it affects normal embryonic development and the formation of NB. Preliminary results from my project show that X knockout causes a delay in normal embryonic development whereas overexpression of X suppress tumor formation in mice. If our hypothesis that X functions as a tumor suppressor gene is correct, it will provide vital new information for understanding tumor initiating events during normal development and unravel new diagnostic tools.

Master’s Degree Project in Molecular Biology, General Master Programme, 45 credits 2020
Department of Biology, Lund University
Advisor: Sofie Mohlin
Advisors Department: Division of Translational Cancer Research, LUCC, Lund, Sweden (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kyknas, Michail
supervisor
organization
course
MOBN02 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9029753
date added to LUP
2020-09-22 12:33:24
date last changed
2020-09-22 12:33:24
@misc{9029753,
  author       = {{Kyknas, Michail}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Investigating the relationship between normal Neural crest and tumor development}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}