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Link Between Cancer and Autism

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Deinonychus
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11 Mar 2017, 6:06 pm

I'm sure it's probably incorrect and premature to read too much into this study, but I found the following quote interesting.

Quote:
Amazingly, the ability of cancer cells to adhere and migrate on their environment and invade into surrounding tissue were prevented by SHANK protein -- a molecule previously studied in the central nervous system and linked to autism, describes graduate student Johanna Lilja.


Could this mean that cancer might be inhibited by the same protein that's linked to autism? I'm sure there's a flaw in my logic here, but it's an interesting thought!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 120632.htm


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B19
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12 Mar 2017, 10:51 pm

These mutations seem to be rare, not widespread, according to this (which I have only glanced at so far):
http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/a ... en.1004580



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13 Mar 2017, 1:14 am

It would be fascinating if this was more than just the autism theory of the week.


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EzraS
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13 Mar 2017, 6:53 am

Kraichgauer wrote:
It would be fascinating if this was more than just the autism theory of the week.


Ikr



Kraichgauer
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13 Mar 2017, 5:15 pm

EzraS wrote:
Kraichgauer wrote:
It would be fascinating if this was more than just the autism theory of the week.


Ikr


What is ikr?


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aspie314
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13 Mar 2017, 8:55 pm

I know right



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14 Mar 2017, 12:56 pm

That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard.


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Alliekit
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16 Mar 2017, 3:28 pm

Just because they are related to two different conditions it does not mean the conditions are related. Depending on cell type and location proteins can play different roles. Also t would take more than a single mutation in the SHANK protein to cause cancer (cancer needs multiple mutations) unless it were a tumour suppressor like p53 or RB1. But if that were the case then the ineffectiveness of the SHANK protein would mean that autistic people would get childhood cancers as it is with li-fraumei or retinoblastoma