EGF growth factor accelerates cell division, study finds
Biologists at Heidelberg University have discovered new approaches for the treatment of cancer. They investigated how a special signalling molecule, the epidermal growth factor (EGF), stimulates the separation of chromosomes in the cell. The researchers were able to demonstrate that EGF accelerates the division of the cell nucleus, i.e. mitosis, as well as boosts precision in chromosome segregation. "Because the regulation of the EGF pathway is radically altered in many types of cancers, the results of our research point to new approaches in cancer therapy", explains Prof. Dr. Elmar Schiebel from the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH). Together with scientists from the University of Leicester, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the German Cancer Research Center, Prof. Schiebel and his team have published their findings in the journal Developmental Cell.