rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) (04/23/91)
Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, what does it look like? Rick Hunt rhunt@med.unc.edu
lecl@quads.uchicago.edu (elizabeth e. leclair) (04/23/91)
In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It >had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I >thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the >arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. >So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, >what does it look like? > >Rick Hunt >rhunt@med.unc.edu I am not a botanist, but I recall that plants do exhibit "cancers" in the form of growths or "galls" that often appear like large warts on stems or the trunks of trees. These are essentially rampant cell lines which proliferate much like cancer cells, but are prevented from spreading or metastasizing becuase of the plant cells' walled construction. These rampant cell lines have some interference with their regulatory growth hormones, which might explain the strange proliferation of little twigs on the tree. Just a non-botanist's 2 cents. -- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Elizabeth E. LeClair [lecl@midway.uchicago.edu] <<<<<<<<<<< I can't remember which brand of beer gets me girls and which merely submerges me in a mountain stream. -- S.P.
ouellett@newsserver.sfu.ca (Francis Ouellette) (04/23/91)
In <1991Apr22.232650.2061@midway.uchicago.edu> lecl@quads.uchicago.edu (elizabeth e. leclair) writes: >In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >>Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It [stuff cut out] >>Rick Hunt >>rhunt@med.unc.edu elizabeth e. leclair (lecl@quads.uchicago.edu) responds: > I am not a botanist, but I recall that plants do exhibit "cancers" in > the form of growths or "galls" that often appear like large warts on stems > or the trunks of trees. These are essentially rampant cell lines which [stuff cut out] > rampant cell lines have some interference with their regulatory growth > hormones, which might explain the strange proliferation of little twigs > on the tree. I am not a botanist either, but I did work in a plant lab a few years ago and it is indeed a plant hormone (phytohormone, some, but not all, will say) imbalance which is caused by the transfer of cytokinin producing genes which are transfered from a bacterium responsible for this gall. The bacterum gets its advantage here by also transferring an opine producing gene. Opines are wierd (read "different") amino acid which only these bacterium can utilize. So the bacteria transfer the hormone gene and the opine making gene to the plant, the plant goes crazy and devides a lot, makes a lot of opines and makes an ideal environment for the barcteria to grow, but making the plant sick (but not killing it) in the meantime, because the plant is routting all of its nutrients to this part of its trunk which is undergoing cell division like crazy! my $0.02 too! ttul, francis > Just a non-botanist's 2 cents. > -- > >>>>>>>> Elizabeth E. LeClair [lecl@midway.uchicago.edu] <<<<<<<<<<< > I can't remember which brand of beer gets me girls and which merely > submerges me in a mountain stream. -- S.P. -- Francis Ouellette "Je cherche a` comprendre" Dept of Biological Sciences Jacques Monod Simon Fraser University ouellett@whistler.sfu.ca Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 userBFFO@SFU.bitnet
mnl@ukc.ac.uk (M.N.Leonard) (04/24/91)
In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It >had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I >thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the >arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. >So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, >what does it look like? > >Rick Hunt >rhunt@med.unc.edu I may be wrong but I thought that "Callusses" were cancerous growths on plants if this is correct then yes they are very common. However, I'm not sure if the term "cancer" is correct because it is very difficult to envision any form of metastasis occurring. Hope this helps. Mike Leonard University of Kent at Canterbury Kent U.K. mnl@ukc.ac.uk
sarima@tdatirv.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) (04/25/91)
In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It >had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I >thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the >arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. >So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, >what does it look like? As others have pointed out plants do get 'cancer', but I doubt this is what you are seeing. I have seen something very like what you describe, on the UC Berkeley campus. If the tree in question was *planted* as part of landscaping work, the strange growth pattern may well be deliberate! By vigorously pruning all larger branches above a certain point on a tree it can be induced to form just such a burl with numerous small twigs growing out of it - sort of an elevated bush. Berkeley has entire groves of Western Sycamore pruned in this way - it makes for an odd sort of high hedge. Now if the tree you saw was 'wild' I am probably off base. -- --------------- uunet!tdatirv!sarima (Stanley Friesen)
rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) (04/26/91)
In article <210@tdatirv.UUCP> sarima@tdatirv.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) writes: > >elevated bush. Berkeley has entire groves of Western Sycamore pruned in >this way - it makes for an odd sort of high hedge. > >Now if the tree you saw was 'wild' I am probably off base. >-- >uunet!tdatirv!sarima (Stanley Friesen) The tree in question was indeed a wild tree, right at the edge of the woods near my apartment complex. There are however some landscaped trees nearby and this tree may have been attacked by a mad landscaper in a bizarre experiment. :-) My guess is that it has not been pruned or otherwise molested, but I can't be sure. I was also under the impression that the knots and bumps on trees were caused by insects or other parasites and fungi. This is in response to another posting on the subject. Does the cell wall of plants make them resistant or immune to cancer? Rick Hunt rhunt@med.unc.edu
ccfj@hippo.ru.ac.za (F.F. Jacot Guillarmod) (04/26/91)
>In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >>Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It >>had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I >>thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the >>arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. >>So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, >>what does it look like? Could this growth be mistletoe? It tends to make trees supporting it look a bit odd. If this is the case, then it isn't cancer, but a parasite. -- F.F. Jacot Guillarmod - Computing Centre - Rhodes University Artillery Road - P.O Box 94 - Grahamstown - 6140 - South Africa Internet: ccfj@hippo.ru.ac.za Phone: +27 [0]461 22023 xt 284 uucp: ..!uunet!m2xenix!quagga!hippo!ccfj Fax: +27 [0]461 25049
ouellett@newsserver.sfu.ca (Francis Ouellette) (04/29/91)
In <3496@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: >Does the cell wall of plants make them resistant or immune to cancer? Rick, "immune to cancer" is probably not the best way to phrase it! For the bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefacian (sp?)) to infect them and transfer some of their DNA there has to be a wound, ie the cell wall has to be broken. I don't follow this litterature as I use to, but I think that the bacterium requires a broken cell wall. Maybe others know more about this? >Rick Hunt >rhunt@med.unc.edu francis -- Francis Ouellette "Je cherche a` comprendre" Dept of Biological Sciences Jacques Monod Simon Fraser University ouellett@whistler.sfu.ca Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 userBFFO@SFU.bitnet
chris@iosys.UUCP (Chris Martinus) (05/02/91)
In article <ccfj.672610350@hippo>, ccfj@hippo.ru.ac.za (F.F. Jacot Guillarmod) writes: > >In article <3442@beguine.UUCP> rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt) writes: > >>Several days ago on the way to work I saw a strange growth on a tree. It > >>had what looked like dozens of twigs growing from one spot. At first I > >>thought it was a bird's nest, but it started sprouting leaves with the > >>arrival of spring. Then I started to wonder if it would be a kind of cancer. > >>So now it is stupid question time: Do plants get cancer? If they do, > >>what does it look like? > > Could this growth be mistletoe? It tends to make trees supporting it > look a bit odd. If this is the case, then it isn't cancer, but a > parasite. It probably was a parasitic plant, judging from the description. I have had a similar problem with some trees of the "wag-'n-bietjie" variety (don't ask me what their scientific name is) which formed grossly thickened and deformed portions which would eventually be attacked by insects, fungi, etc and then die off. Surprisingly, no "expert" at a nursery has been able to identify this apparently cancerous growth on the trees. A little research I've done myself seems to indicate that the problem is actually a viral infection of the tree. So there you have it - what you saw was either a parasite, or a virus. -- Chris Martinus chris@iosys