Genetic and environmental disruptions to circadian clocks accelerate the progression of colorectal cancer in organoids and mice, University of California, Irvine, researchers report in an August 10 paper in Science. This acceleration appears to be driven by an increase in mutations within a tumor suppressor gene.
This link between the body’s natural circadian clock and colorectal cancer, the researchers behind the study say, may explain the alarming rise in young onset colorectal cancer observed over the last two decades. “A majority of these [cases in young adults] are sporadic in nature and not actually linked to genetic predisposition,” says study co-author Selma Masri, a molecular biologist at UCI.
In humans and lots of other creatures, many bodily processes follow hardwired internal rhythms. These built-in circadian clocks can influence everything from energy metabolism to how effective medications are, and studies suggest that if they get thrown out of whack, they can ...
