The betrayal of homeo box genes in normal development: the link to cancer.
The homeo box genes encode proteins that function in a complex regulatory network that specifies the precise temporal and spatial expression of genes in the developing embryo. Recent work has shown that these proteins can act directly as transcription factors. I argue here that, when altered by somatic mutation, the products of homeo box genes are likely to acquire activities that contribute to the oncogenic process.
Blatt
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Department of Molecular Genetics and Virology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005801:Genes, Homeobox / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*