Fly Cells On The Move May Reveal Clues To Cancer Metastases Using neat genetic tricks with fruit flies, scientists from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found the key signal that allows a group of normally stationary cells in the ovary to travel, they report in the current issue of Cell. Because fruit fly genetics are similar to but vastly simpler than human genetics, understanding the signals that mobilize the ovary cells may help clarify how human cancer cells invade distant tissues, says Denise Montell, Ph.D., associate professor of biological chemistry in the school's Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. "Cells usually hold on to their neighbors, so a lot of things have to change for a cell to become migratory," says Montell, who has been studying this process in flies for 12 years. "We've now found the first signal that seems to be sufficient to get cells moving." With funding from the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health, graduate student Debra Silver examined thousands of mutant fruit flies and identified a protein called "Unpaired" that activates stationary cells. [01/16/2002; ScienceDaily] J Clin Onc, 2/02 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.