From growth arrest to growth suppression

Since the introduction of the cell cycle concept two approaches to study growth regulation of cells have been proposed. One claims that cells are naturally quiescent, requiring a stimulatory encouter with growth factors for induction of cell division. The other considers cellular multiplication as the natural steady-state; cessation of multiplication is thus a restriction imposed on the system. In the latter case emphasis is mainly on the signals involved in arrest of multiplication. This Prospect focuses on specific events occurring in mammalian cells at growth arrest, senescence, and terminal differentiation, specifically emphasizing the growth inhibitory factors, tumor suppressor genes, and other signals for growth suppression.