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Updated: Jul 28, 2026

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene
Published on: December 31, 2014
c-Myc, genome instability, and tumorigenesis: the devil is in the details
1Gene Expression Lab, The Salk Institute, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
The c-myc oncogene acts as a pluripotent modulator of transcription during normal cell growth and proliferation. Deregulated c-myc activity in cancer can lead to excessive activation of its downstream pathways, and may also stimulate changes in gene expression and cellular signaling that are not observed under non-pathological conditions. Under certain conditions, aberrant c-myc activity is associated with the appearance of DNA damage-associated markers and karyotypic abnormalities. In this chapter, we discuss mechanisms by which c-myc may be directly or indirectly associated with the induction of genomic instability. The degree to which c-myc-induced genomic instability influences the initiation or progression of cancer is likely to depend on other factors, which are discussed herein.
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