October 18, 2023
Revealing structural secrets of a key cancer protein
Scientists have breathed new life into the study of a protein with an outsized link to human cancers because of its dangerous mutations, using advanced research techniques to detect its hidden regions.
The Ras family of proteins are enzymes that set in motion the growth, division and differentiation of many types of cells, and their genes have been identified as the most frequently mutated cancer-related genes in humans. The subject of this study, the K-Ras protein, is linked to 75% of all Ras-associated cancers.