Basic science reviews: Oncogenes

✍ Scribed by Dr. Norris K. Lee

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 879 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.2880140312

✦ Synopsis

Currently, the most widely accepted paradigm of oncogenesis is based on the concept of a balance between positive-and negative-growth regulatory mechanisms. Aberrations in these regulatory pathways can lead to a transformed phenotype, seen clinically as tumorigenesis. In vivo, there may be additional epigenetic and sys- temic parameters which can affect clinical outcome, but the initial steps of carcinogenesis are rooted in abnormal cellular processes which are dependent on definable molecular events in the tumor cell. At the core of this concept is the interaction of oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. The explosion of knowledge in this field prohibits an exhaustive review in this context; however, some of the oncogenes relevant to the head and neck specialist will be discussed here.

OVERVIEW

The field of virology has played a crucial role in the elucidation of cancer-related genes. In 1911, Rousl first discovered the ability of an RNA virus to transform a host cell. Since then, many oncogenic RNA viruses (retroviruses) have been identified. Most transforming retroviruses contain nucleic acid sequences which are responsible for imparting oncogenic properties on the From the