Tumor suppressor gene important in glioma

A new tumor suppressor gene, which codes for a protein called ING4 (for INhibitor of tumor Growth), appears to play an important role in the development of glioma, a deadly form of brain tumor. A tumor sends chemical signals to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to feed itself, but ING4 suppresses the growth of new vessels. If the tumor suppressor gene is inactivated, ING4 is not produced in sufficient quantities to inhibit the growth of the glioma. The results of this study were published in the March 18, 2004, issue of Nature.