Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Nov 16, 2025 2 hours, 7 minutes ago
Medical News: A Fresh Look at a Mysterious Gene Family
A team of researchers from the Department of Pathology, Department of Surgery, and Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Dakota has published an in-depth review exploring one of the most unusual gene families found in humans and mice—the Schlafen or SLFN genes. First discovered in 1998, these genes were named after the German word meaning “to sleep” because early findings showed they could slow cell growth. Over the years, scientists discovered that these genes play surprisingly powerful roles in immunity, cancer progression, inflammation, and even viral infections. According to this
Medical News report, the new analysis shows that understanding how these genes are switched on or off may open new doors for treating a wide range of diseases.
Scientists reveal how Schlafen genes influence immunity cancer development and viral defense
How Schlafen Genes Work in the Body
Humans carry eight major SLFN genes, each producing proteins of different lengths. Smaller SLFN proteins work mainly in the cytoplasm, while larger ones operate in the nucleus, where they can influence DNA and RNA. This structural variety explains why Schlafen proteins carry out so many distinct tasks. They help guide immune cells through key stages of development, support or suppress inflammation, and influence how cells grow or stop growing.
Powerful Roles in Immunity Cancer and Infections
Schlafen genes rise and fall in activity as immune cells mature, ensuring healthy immune development. Some SLFN family members turn on during infections or inflammation to strengthen the body’s defenses. In cancer research, several Schlafen genes have emerged as important tumor-suppressing factors. Certain SLFN proteins can slow cancer growth, limit the spread of malignant cells, boost sensitivity to chemotherapy, and help trigger cancer cell death. In viral infections, SLFN11 in particular has been shown to block the replication of viruses such as Zika, Dengue, and West Nile, while some viruses attempt to fight back by suppressing SLFN activity.
Epigenetic Switches That Control These Genes
One of the strongest themes in the review is the role of epigenetics—the chemical markers that determine whether genes are active or silent. Changes such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitylation can dramatically alter SLFN activity. When SLFN11 becomes heavily methylated, it shuts down, allowing cancer cells to resist chemotherapy. Drugs that reverse these epigenetic marks can turn SLFN11 back on, restoring sensitivity to treatment. Phosphorylation can either weaken or strengthen SLFN proteins, and in some cases, removing phosphate groups reactivates their ability to block cancer cell growth. Ubiquitylation can tag certain SLFN proteins for destruction, reducing their antiviral or tumor-suppressing activity.
Conclusion
The new review makes it clear that Schlafen genes are far more influential and complex than previously u
nderstood. They help decide how the immune system matures, how cancers respond to therapy, how the body reacts to viral infections, and how cells repair DNA damage. Because chemical modifications can silence or activate these genes, future treatments may be able to precisely control SLFN activity to improve outcomes for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and viral illnesses. As research continues, Schlafen genes may become key targets for next-generation medical therapies.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/22/11058
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/genomics-and-epigenetics
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