Rolf Ohlsson, professor in the Department of Microbiology, tumor and cell biology at Karolinska institutet in Solna. He is studying chromosomal network, a newly discovered structure in the genome. NOTE – This article is machine translated from Swedish.
A research group led by professor Rolf Ohlsson at Karolinska institutet in Stockholm have discovered structures in the genome which have not been known. These findings may eventually lead to new ways to cure cancer.
The research group at the Department of Microbiology, tumor and cell biology, has received a long-awaited light microscope thanks to support from No Britt and Arne Lundberg’s Research Foundation.
Indescribable beauty and happiness — a boost for our research. Now we can do analysis one hundred times faster, “said Rolf Ohlsson.
With this advanced tool is it possible to do a superdetaljerad analysis of how different regions of genomes relate to one another and to the cell kernel architecture.
The new microscope, according to Rolf Ohlsson has been a minor revolution on behalf of the group, it is used at least 10 hours each day.
— The lack of a proprietary Microsoft was previously a maddeningly bottleneck for our research. We had to hire us in other laboratories and had access only to loose hours. Now we can plan our projects and work much more efficient. In addition, our new Microsoft better precision that extend the boundaries of what we can do.
Microscope costing more than 1.9 million.
— At that time included a software which cost half a million. It merged with the microscope clever filter allows us to see in depth in 3-d images with very high resolution. Right great compared to previous technology, says Rolf Ohlsson.
He talks enthusiastically about how far their research have reached when it comes to understanding how cell nuclei works. The study of cells that represent different stages of a person’s development and have discovered a new dimension, on top of the DNA structure, which they call chromosomal network.
— The tightly packed genetic material can be likened to a hockey puck where the network’s DNA sequence, so called primary kromatinfibrer, located on the outside. There is something in the puck that makes network is formed.
— We now know that the genes for information between each other for us newly discovered, and that chromosomes flexible interact to influence gene activity. These in turn can respond to their environment in a sophisticated way, depending on the chemical conditions that each gene has. Then there is a mysterious connection between the network, cell nucleus structure and how the gene behaves when it is copied. When it happens to be an imbalance in this symbiosis, we run the risk of getting cancer.
— We can imagine how it all works but know for a bit yet. But clearly, this new perspective on genetic material will have an impact in the future. It will broaden the road for new methods to cure cancer, and may help to develop more precise diagnoses and medications. It is our firm hope.
Rolf Ohlsson look above all at epigenetic processes, i.e. extra-genetic information inherited from cell to cell, and not in the DNA sequence. The epigenetic process also regulates how the nearly three hundred different cell types in the human body matures up.
— Unfortunately, the process is not totally flawless without changes, called epimutationer, can occur and contribute to cancer formation. So have the origins of cancer, explained that epimutationer accumulates in immature precursors to cancer stem cells, in response to abnormal conditions such as inflammation or viral infection. Sometimes ago a growth of these cells that unfortunately can lead to cancer.
In his studies use Rolf O teams of cells from the human being, both embryonic and cancer stem cells and their utmognade daughter cells. When a stem cell reprogramming embyonal, makes it to neurons, for example, they see that the chromosomal network change, but they still do not know in detail what the change means for the cell.
— It’s embarrassing but we know actually not yet fully what is behind, “said Rolf and tells him that it was three years ago they made the discovery of the status change. But the research is resource intensive and extensive analysis costs half a million dollars per sample, so it’s no wonder that the work proceeds slowly.
— It is our ambition to understand how nucleus inherited architecture is affected in humans, under both normal and abnormal cell development. It is both frustrating and exciting to research new information about what this actually means.
Rolf Ohlsson have their workplace in Solna and lives in Uppsala, but the roots are in Halland which his dialect reveals.
— Yes, I am from Halmstad. Sometimes I go there to visit my old school friends in frösakull.
Text: Monica Havström