Grant: Operating Grant

The first INhibitor of Growth (ING) gene was shown to encode a protein that could suppress tumour cell growth. It was later found that it could also force cells to commit a form of cell suicide called apoptosis which is important for eliminating cancer cells. We have found that one product of the ING1 gene (ING1a) that is normally produced in aging cells can make cells age at an accelerated rate if experimentally made in larger amounts. We propose to study what controls the differential production of ING1a and how it accelerates cell aging. This should provide us with insight into how to delay the cell aging process in normal cells and how to more efficiently induce cancer cells to rapidly age and stop growing.