MOSCOW, 22 Jun. Scientists from St. Petersburg Polytechnic University proposed a new theory of development through the transformation of tumors in living organisms. According to them, it fills in the gaps in Darwin's theory and explains some anomalous biological phenomena. The results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
According to scientists, progressive evolution (the process of developing an organism from simple to complex. — Ed.) is extremely rare, and the complication of living structures occurs abruptly and violently, after which there is a long stagnation.
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To explain these phenomena, scientists from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) put forward their own theory of the evolutionary role of inherited carcino-evo-devo tumors.
According to the experts, the basis for their scientific assumption was the idea that evolution is driven by the neofunctionalization of tumors. That is, inherited neoplasms provide additional cell masses for the expression of evolutionarily new genes.
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«Excessive copies of cells for the body — for example, tumors — can acquire new functions. This process is inseparably linked with the evolution of the genome, during which the «extra» copies of nucleic acids are transformed into genes with new functionality.
Andrey KozlovHead of the Research Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Oncology, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
He added that during The question of where the extra cell mass comes from for the development of new genes has been raised more than once in the development of the theory of genomic evolution, and now, as part of the study, an answer can be proposed.
The university clarified that the mentioned development theories do not contradict, but harmonize and complement each other. //ria.ru/20230517/drozhzhi-1872198593.html» data->
«Everything does not happen as if by magic — new genes appeared, and immediately an array of cells appeared from somewhere for their work. New sequences of nucleic acids, which we call TSEEN genes, begin their formation precisely with work in neoplasms,» Kozlov noted.
The expert also noted that the incidence of tumors in an organ directly depends on its age: for example, the mammary gland in women and the prostate in men, which are evolutionarily new in the human body, are most susceptible to neoplasms.
«The cerebral cortex, placenta, the cardiac septum are just some examples of what a person has acquired as a result of the development of TSEEN genes in tumors,» the scientist explained.
According to him, the carcino-evo-devo theory is also a new oncological theory that develops the idea of a positive evolutionary role of inherited tumors in evolution due to the formation of new types of cells, tissues and organs from them.
«A good example of the practical application of our theory is the prediction and experimental detection of one of The TSEEN gene is Brachyury, which has a very high expression level in any tumors, which is why more than 30 clinical trials around the world are currently undergoing cancer vaccines, the active ingredients of which are aimed at blocking this gene,» Kozlov explained.
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He clarified that the idea of co-evolution through tumors and normal development suggests a way to stabilize neoplasms instead of trying to get rid of them in every possible way.