In experiments with mice genetically prone to develop polyps, researchers discovered that animals carrying one copy of the damaged gene, Atp5a1, had about 90 percent fewer polyps in the small ...

It turns out that Atp5a1, which is crucial for the cell’s energy production, is also a “modifier” gene. Modifier genes play roles in individual susceptibility to cancers.

image: The protein ATP5A1 (ATP synthase, H+ transporting, mitochondrial F1 complex, alpha subunit 1, cardiac muscle) is visualized using confocal microscopy and immunofluorescent reporters in a ...