Extra gene keeps mice cancer-free and permanently skinny

Extra gene keeps mice cancer-free and permanently skinny:


The gene PTEN is a tumor suppressor, making it one of the best genes to have in the fight against cancer. But the latest research suggests that preventing cancer is just the beginning of all the amazing things this gene can do.

Usually, the phrase "too much of a good thing" is all over medical science — even if something is beneficial at one dosage, there's zero guarantee that increasing the dosage will make it even better. But the initial research on PTEN suggests that it might be a rare exception... at least, if you're a mouse. Crucially, it seems that tumor suppressor genes aren't simply about stopping cancer, and their full range of benefits is just waiting to be unlocked.