Many proto-oncogenes participate in the regulation of apoptosis and closely intertwined with their actions are various growth factors and other genes that participate in the control of cellular growth. The proto-oncogene c-Myc encodes a transcription factor c-Myc that plays a critical role in multiple cellular processes including cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Expression of c-Myc is rapidly induced by mitogens and is down regulated during differentiation. c-Myc activity is sufficient to drive cells into the cell cycle in the absence of growth factors but also induces apoptosis when survival factors are missing. Deregulated expression of c-Myc is associated with a wide array of human cancers. Thr-58 is a major phosphorylation site in c-Myc and is a mutational hotspot in Burkitt's and other aggressive human lymphomas. The quantity of c-Myc is carefully controlled by many mechanisms, and it exerts its oncogenic effects through regulation of genes involved with growth and proliferation (Ref.1). References 1.MYC oncogenes and human neoplastic disease. Nesbit CE, Tersak JM, Prochownik EV. Oncogene. 1999 May 13; 18(19): 3004-16. Review. 2.c-Myc-induced sensitization to apoptosis is mediated through Cytochrome c release. Juin P, Hueber AO, Littlewood T, Evan G. Genes Dev. 1999 Jun 1; 13(11): 1367-81. 3.Proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis in cancer. Evan GI, Vousden KH. Nature. 2001 May 17; 411(6835): 342-8. Review. 4.Apaf-1 and caspase-9 in p53-dependent apoptosis and tumor inhibition. Soengas MS, Alarcon RM, Yoshida H, Giaccia AJ, Hakem R, Mak TW, Lowe SW. Science. 1999 Apr 2; 284(5411): 156-9. Klefstrom J, Verschuren EW, Evan G. J Biol Chem. 2002 Nov 8; 277(45): 43224-32. Epub 2002 Aug 28. 6.c-Myc target genes involved in cell growth, apoptosis, and metabolism. Dang CV.
Mol Cell Biol. 1999 Jan; 19(1): 1-11. Review. |