title: Oncogenes and proto-oncogenes.
abstract: The discovery that normal cells contain proto-oncogenes--genes that are analogous to known viral oncogenes--may provide a shortcut not only to understanding some of the pathophysiologic mechanisms that must be involved in carcinogenesis but also to dissecting the processes of normal cell growth and of the evolutionarily developed controls on such growth.
mesh_terms: D001358:Avian Sarcoma Viruses / Q000235:genetics; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009857:Oncogenes; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004274:DNA, Recombinant