title: Tumor viruses, oncogenes, and human cancer.
abstract: We review the biology of transforming retroviruses and their relationship to cellular transforming genes (tumor oncogenes). Evidence is discussed for the involvement of a retrovirus in a newly described syndrome, "adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma," which has a high incidence of skin involvement. This virus is related to the animal retroviruses which induce tumors in susceptible hosts after a long latent period. Cellular transforming genes encode proteins which directly change the oncogenic potential of a cell. These genes, which are altered forms of normal cellular genes, have been isolated from a wide variety of human tumors. Viral and cellular transforming genes produce their changes by at least two different mechanisms: abnormally high production of the normal protein encoded by these genes, or normal levels of an altered form of the protein.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005815:Genetic Code; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009857:Oncogenes; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections; D014779:Virus Replication