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Cancer genes by illegitimate recombination
P H Duesberg1, R P Zhou, D Goodrich
1Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Retroviral oncogenes are the only known cancer genes, arising from virus-cell gene recombination. This study challenges the activation theory, proposing new cancer genes form via illegitimate recombination altering germline structure.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Retroviral oncogenes are currently the only established cancer genes.
- They originate from illegitimate recombination between retroviruses and proto-oncogenes.
- Existing theories suggest proto-oncogenes activate without germline alteration to cause cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the prevailing theory of proto-oncogene activation in cancer development.
- To propose an alternative mechanism for the generation of cancer-causing genes.
- To investigate the role of germline structure alteration in oncogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of retroviral oncogenes and cellular proto-oncogenes.
- Theoretical modeling of illegitimate recombination events.
- Review of existing literature on cancer gene origins.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests that retroviral oncogenes and cellular cancer genes are not merely activated forms of proto-oncogenes.
- Illegitimate recombination events that alter the germline structure of normal genes are proposed as the primary mechanism for generating novel cancer genes.
- The concept of 'activation' without structural change is challenged.
Conclusions:
- Cancer genes, including retroviral oncogenes and cellular cancer genes, are proposed to arise de novo.
- These genes result from illegitimate recombinations that fundamentally alter the germline structure of normal genes.
- This challenges the established view of proto-oncogene activation as the sole mechanism for cancer gene formation.