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Transcription and cancer.
1Transcriptional Control Laboratory, Marie Curie Cancer Research, Oxted, Surrey, UK.
British Journal of Cancer
|May 1, 1991
Summary
Gene expression control is vital for normal development. Deregulation of these controls, particularly transcription, is implicated in cancer development and progression.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Normal organism growth and function depend on precise gene expression control.
- Messenger RNA (mRNA) production is regulated by interactions between transcription factors and DNA sequences.
- Regulatory protein activity can be modulated by cell differentiation and external stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of transcriptional control perturbations in neoplasia (cancer).
- To explore how disrupted gene expression contributes to disordered cell growth and differentiation in tumors.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on transcriptional regulation and cancer.
- Analysis of mechanisms underlying gene expression deregulation in neoplastic cells.
Main Results:
- Perturbations in transcriptional control can lead to failed expression of differentiation genes or inappropriate expression of cell division genes.
- Both transcription factors and oncogenes play critical roles in driving neoplastic growth.
- Abnormalities at various cellular levels (receptors, signaling proteins, transcription factors) converge on altered gene expression patterns.
Conclusions:
- Disordered gene expression is a hallmark of cancer, resulting from failures or inappropriate activation of transcriptional regulatory pathways.
- Understanding the specific elements of transcriptional control involved in neoplasia is a key area for current research.