Scientists in Hong Kong believe they have uncovered the trigger for leukaemia, a cancer of the blood that afflicts millions worldwide.The findings could pave the way for the design of new drugs to combat the abnormal proliferation of white blood cells and might also lead to new treatments for other types of cancers.Leukaemia has been linked to infection by the Human T-cell leukaemia virus Type 1 (HTLV-1), which is contracted through sex, blood transfusions and breastfeeding.In a study that began in 2000, researchers at the University of Hong Kong found that abnormal division of white blood cells took place when a foreign protein called TAX in the leukaemia virus bound itself to a human protein, which the same group of scientists identified for the first time in human cells.That newly identified protein, called TAX1BP2, ensures proper cell division. When the foreign protein started merging with the human protein, the scientists began to observe abnormal cell division.‘‘When they merge, the function of TAX1BP2 is disrupted, leading to the generation of abnormal numbers of chromosomes in daughter cells and is, therefore, thought to be a driving force in the development of cancer,’’ said Wilson Ching, assistant professor of the University of Hong Kong’s departments of pathology and biochemistry.The group’s findings were published in the journal Nature Cell Biology on June 11.
