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Updated: Aug 3, 2026

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene
08:18

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene

Published on: December 31, 2014

c-myc oncoprotein function

C V Dang1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|December 10, 1991
PubMed

Insights

The c-Myc protein plays a key role in cancer by regulating cell growth and differentiation. Understanding its function and interactions is crucial for developing new cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Genetic alterations in the c-myc locus are implicated in various malignancies.
  • The c-Myc protein is known to transform cultured cells and induce tumors in transgenic animals, highlighting its oncogenic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize critical functional domains of the c-Myc protein.
  • To propose a model for c-Myc function and intracellular activity.

Main Methods:

  • Dissection and characterization of the c-Myc protein structure and domains.
  • Analysis of c-Myc's intracellular localization, DNA binding, and transcriptional activity.

Main Results:

  • Identification of critical functional domains within the c-Myc protein.
  • Characterization of c-Myc's synthesis in the cytoplasm, oligomerization with proteins like Max, and nuclear localization.
  • Demonstration of c-Myc binding to specific DNA sites to modulate target gene transcription.

Conclusions:

  • The c-Myc protein's functional domains and intracellular activities are critical for its role in neoplasia.
  • Further studies on c-Myc and its partner Max will elucidate its role in normal cell growth regulation and its alterations in cancer.

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