title: Functions of myc:max in the control of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.
abstract: Deregulation and elevated expression of members of the Myc family of bHLHZip transcription factors are observed in a high percentage of tumors. This close association with human cancers has led to a tremendous effort to define their biological and biochemical activities. Although Myc family proteins have the capacity to elicit a wide range of cell behaviors, their principal function appears to be to drive cells into the cell cycle and to keep them there. However, forced expression of Myc profoundly sensitizes normal cells to apoptosis. Therefore, tumor formation caused by deregulated Myc expression requires cooperating events that disrupt pathways that mediate apoptosis. Myc-dependent tumor formation may also be impeded by a set of related bHLHZip proteins with the demonstrated potential to act as Myc antagonists in cell culture experiments. In this review, we examine the complex activities of Myc family proteins and how their actions might be regulated in the context of a network of bHLHZip proteins.
authors.affiliation: Portland Shriners Hospitals for Children and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hurlin
authors.forename: Shala
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dezfouli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C499330:MAX protein, human; C067850:Myc associated factor X; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D018631:ras Proteins