Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 27, 2026

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

Mechanisms of c-myc-mediated transcriptional repression of growth arrest genes

Andrei L Gartel1, Ksenya Shchors

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, M/C 669, 900 S Ashland Avenue, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA. agartel@uic.edu

Experimental Cell Research
|February 5, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The proto-oncogene c-myc drives tumor progression by repressing cell cycle inhibitors. This review details how c-myc uses distinct mechanisms to suppress growth arrest genes, promoting cancer cell proliferation.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Gene Regulation

Background:

  • Constitutive expression of the proto-oncogene c-myc is implicated in oncogenesis and tumor progression.
  • c-myc exerts its functions primarily through transcriptional regulation of target genes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • This review focuses on the mechanisms by which c-myc transcriptionally represses cell cycle inhibitors.
  • Investigate how c-myc suppresses the expression of growth arrest genes, contributing to cancer development.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on c-myc's role in transcriptional repression.
  • Analysis of distinct molecular mechanisms employed by c-myc to inhibit gene expression.

Main Results:

  • c-myc represses key cell cycle/growth arrest genes including gas1, p15, p21, p27, and gadd34, -45, -153.
  • Two primary repression mechanisms identified: 1) Myc-Max heterodimer binding to Inr elements and inhibiting transcriptional activators, and 2) c-myc interaction with Sp1 transcription factor, inhibiting its activity.
  • The precise Sp1-containing promoters targeted by c-myc and potential additional repression modes require further elucidation.

Conclusions:

  • c-myc's ability to repress growth arrest genes is a critical factor in promoting cell proliferation and oncogenesis.
  • Understanding these repression mechanisms offers insights into cancer development and potential therapeutic targets.

More Related Videos

Manipulation and Analysis of Cell Cycle-Dependent Processes in Budding Yeast08:13

Manipulation and Analysis of Cell Cycle-Dependent Processes in Budding Yeast

Published on: September 26, 2025

Identification of Transcription Factor Regulators using Medium-Throughput Screening of Arrayed Libraries and a Dual-Luciferase-Based Reporter11:32

Identification of Transcription Factor Regulators using Medium-Throughput Screening of Arrayed Libraries and a Dual-Luciferase-Based Reporter

Published on: March 27, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors01:52

Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors

Certain biochemical processes, such as embryonic development and cell growth regulation, depend on the repression of specific genes. DNA binding proteins known as eukaryotic transcription inhibitors regulate the repression of gene expression in eukaryotes. The presence of these inhibitors at the required location and time in the cell is triggered by the presence of hormones and additional signals from other cells.
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a DNA...
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:06

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...