Oxygen-deprived RNA molecules lead to tumor progression

New research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has unearthed a previously unknown phenomenon: Key regulatory molecules are decreased when deprived of oxygen which leads to increased cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. “We showed that that hypoxia causes a downregulation of, or decrease in, quantities of Drosha and Dicer, enzymes that are necessary for producing microRNAs,” said Anil Sood, M.D., professor of gynecologic oncology and reproductive medicine and cancer biology. “At a functional level, this process results in increased cancer progression when studied at the cellular level.” Read more here.