You are a researcher at a small biotech company and your company has just obtain

Question

You are a researcher at a small biotech company and your company has just obtained the license for use of a human GENOMIC DNA fragment putatively encoding a potentially novel protein, which is thought to regulate p53, the known tumor supressor protein. The scientists who originally cloned this GENE fragment HDM5 "claim" that HDM5 shares 90% DNA sequence homology with one of the HDM2 genes (refer to the review Levine & Oren, 2009). They propose that HDM5 may have HDM2-like properties and may be involved in regulating cell proliferation, and thus a good target to potentially develop as a cancer therapy. Your company has asked you to characterize the gene and gene products, as well as to provide an opinion as to its potential human therapeutic uses.

1. You are now convinced that the protein encoded by your gene shares homology to HDM2 genes and shares functional similarities. What is your advice to your company regarding the potential usefulness of this gene and its product in the development of human therapies? Suggest one potential therapeutic approach.

Explanation / Answer

when the results confirm that the protein encoded by the gene shares homology to HMD2 genes and shares functional similarities then it would definitely be a good candidate target for cancer therapy.

The protein from the gene can be expressed, purufied in vitro. The effect of protein can be checked in cell culture. The cells will be induced to develop into cancer in the presence of this protein and the growth kinetic and apoptosis assays can be checked against the cells which are grown to cancer cells in the absence of this protein.

This result will give the dose dependent estimate of how much of protein is needed to inhibit cancer formation.

This protein can be used as a drug to prevent cancer growth (breast cancer).

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