In genetics and biology, the process where an organism's own genes or mechanisms actively suppress or inhibit the expression of other genes within that same organism.
From 'auto-' (self) plus 'suppression' (the act of holding down or preventing). The term emerged in molecular biology as scientists discovered self-regulatory genetic mechanisms.
Cancer cells often involve autosuppression failure—tumor suppressor genes like p53 are supposed to prevent cell growth, but when these self-braking mechanisms break, cells multiply uncontrollably, which is why these genes are called 'the guardians of the genome.'
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