I've been pondering on cancer from human cells because of the fact that our DNA gets messed up. Or the protein gets damaged past the point where it's unable to be repaired, and our body still tries to repair it, but it goes to the path of cancer. Then I suddenly thought of plants ever being able to be afflicted by this same type of damage, or whether or not plants can get cancer.
2007-01-09 19:21:28 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
Yes. If you have ever taken a walk in the woods you can clearly see trees with cancerous growths. Plants also can have cancer. Here are a few images:
Plant Tumors
http://vivo.library.cornell.edu/entity?home=1&id=15645
Crown Gall Disease
http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/plant_science/COURSES/39_768/l02/agrios170.gif
2007-01-10 04:45:57 · answer #1 · answered by Panda 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
A plant will only respond to a plant carcinogen or at least a compound which may induce 'cancer' in a plant. Usually the response will be a gall or abnormal amount of plant cells formed at a specific site affected by the carcinogenic agent. For example some galls on plants are a form of plant cancer caused by a wasp. However not all compounds which cause cancer in humans or animals will cause the plant to also have a cancer. Plant cancer causing compounds may not affect humans or animals
2007-01-10 03:36:41 · answer #2 · answered by Twisted Maggie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think plants can get cancer, because cancer has something to do with red and white blood cells.Plants don't have red and white blood cells.
2007-01-14 00:38:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course they get.
I have read in high school books that tobacco plants get a certain type of cancer called as tobacco mosaic and the virus causing this is named tobacco mosaic virus.
http://tinyurl.com/ylqbur
2007-01-10 05:09:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋