Proto-oncogene activation in rodent and human tumors.
The transformation of a normal cell into a tumorigenic cell involves both the activation and concerted expression of proto-oncogenes and inactivation of suppressor genes. The activation of ras proto-oncogenes represents one step in the multistep process of carcinogenesis for a variety of rodent and human tumors. This activation is probably an early event in tumorigenesis in many cases and may be the 'initiation' event in some cases. Thus, a chemical that induces rodent tumors by activation of ras proto-oncogenes can potentially invoke one step of the neoplastic process in humans exposed to the chemical. Moreover, dominant transforming oncogenes other than ras have been detected in human tumors as well as rodent tumors. The involvement of these putative proto-oncogenes in the development of neoplasia is unclear at present.
Anderson
M W
MW
Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
You
M
M
Reynolds
S H
SH
D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes