title: DNA hole: a hypothesis for carcinogenesis.
abstract: Transformation of a normal cell to a cancer cell involves a stable secondary inheritable change in the nucleus. The initial event in carcinogenesis is the splitting of the base pairs in the DNA double helix. A hole in the duplex DNA results, a deformity in the secondary structure of DNA. The cellular event in carcinogenesis is the continuous replication of the duplex DNA hole from one cell to the next.
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009857:Oncogenes; D011123:Polyploidy; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm