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When cells divide and multiply to generate an entire organism, each cell must at some point decide whether to make more cells (proliferate) or stop in order to become a specialised cell type (differentiate). This process is one of the most important in developmental biology, especially since when it goes wrong it can result in cancer.
Chromosome 6 contains a gene which plays a key role in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Sam Hughes, from the University of Oxford, explains how researchers at the lab of this year's Christmas Lecturer Dr Alison Woollard are using tiny mutant worms to try to understand what causes this process to go wrong and how over-expression of this gene can lead to tumors. It is hoped these valuable insights will help us in the fight against cancer.
With thanks to BBSRC: bbsrc.ac.uk/
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