What do flies, hippos and cancer have in common?
09 October 2024
Fruit flies, hippos, and cancer are connected through a biological signaling pathway known as the Hippo pathway, which plays a crucial role in regulating organ size, cell growth, and tissue homeostasis (the state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living systems).
Here's how they're linked:
1. Fruit Flies: The Hippo pathway was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly). In these flies, mutations in the Hippo gene caused overgrowth of tissues, leading to the discovery of the pathway’s role in controlling organ size by limiting cell proliferation and promoting cell death.
2. Hippos: The pathway was named "Hippo" because, when disrupted in fruit flies, the cells continued to grow unchecked, resulting in tissues and organs that became abnormally large and wrinkly looking, much like a hippo (metaphorically speaking). The name reflects the enlargement phenotype, not any direct connection to actual hippos.
3. Cancer: In humans, the Hippo pathway plays a significant role in preventing cancer. When the pathway functions normally, it suppresses tumor growth by regulating cell division and cell death. However, when this pathway is dysregulated (e.g., through genetic mutations or environmental factors), it can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation, which contributes to the development and progression of cancer.
Professor Kieran Harvey's team at Peter Mac focuses on the Hippo pathway, which he helped to discover in Professor Iswar Hariharan’s laboratory in the early 2000s.