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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells
Published on: September 24, 2020
Species- and cell type-specific requirements for cellular transformation
Annapoorni Rangarajan1, Sue J Hong, Annie Gifford
1Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Abstract:
Recent evidence suggests that human cells require more genetic changes for neoplastic transformation than do their murine counterparts. However, a precise enumeration of these differences has never been undertaken. We have determined that perturbation of two signaling pathways-involving p53 and Raf-suffices for the tumorigenic conversion of normal murine fibroblasts, while perturbation of six pathways-involving p53, pRb, PP2A, telomerase, Raf, and Ral-GEFs-is needed for human fibroblasts. Cell type-specific differences also exist in the requirements for tumorigenic transformation: immortalized human fibroblasts require the activation of Raf and Ral-GEFs, human embryonic kidney cells require the activation of PI3K and Ral-GEFs, and human mammary epithelial cells require the activation of Raf, PI3K, and Ral-GEFs.
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