Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 11, 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

Development of transformed phenotype induced by a human ras oncogene is inhibited by interferon

D Samid, E H Chang, R M Friedman

    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
    |January 16, 1985
    PubMed

    Insights

    Mouse interferon (IFN) effectively inhibited oncogenic transformation induced by ras oncogenes in NIH 3T3 cells. This inhibition occurred even days after transfection, showing IFN

    Area of Science:

    • Oncology
    • Virology
    • Immunology

    Background:

    • Oncogenic transformation is a key process in cancer development.
    • Interferon (IFN) is known for its antiviral and immunomodulatory properties.
    • The role of IFN in modulating oncogene-induced cellular transformation requires further elucidation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the effect of mouse interferon (IFN) on oncogenic transformation in NIH 3T3 cells.
    • To determine if IFN inhibits transformation mediated by specific oncogenes like ras.
    • To assess the specificity of IFN's inhibitory effect on the transformation process.

    Main Methods:

    • NIH 3T3 cells were transfected with viral oncogenes (Ha-MuSV(ras), Mo-MuSV(mos)) or human bladder carcinoma ras EJ/T24 DNA.
    • Cells were treated with mouse IFN at various time points post-transfection.
    • Assessment of oncogenic and biochemical transformation, and oncogene expression.

    Main Results:

    • Mouse IFN significantly inhibited the development of transformed foci induced by ras oncogenes and EJ/T24 DNA.
    • IFN treatment remained effective even when applied 5-7 days after transfection.
    • IFN did not inhibit biochemical transformation induced by pSV2-neo or Ecogpt DNA, indicating specificity.

    Conclusions:

    • Mouse IFN specifically inhibits oncogenic transformation mediated by ras oncogenes.
    • IFN's inhibitory effect is not due to a general impact on the transfection process.
    • IFN does not affect the expression of already established ras oncogenes post-transformation.

    More Related Videos

    Inducible and Reversible Dominant-negative (DN) Protein Inhibition08:35

    Inducible and Reversible Dominant-negative (DN) Protein Inhibition

    Published on: January 7, 2019

    In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells09:44

    In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

    Published on: September 24, 2020

    Related Concept Videos

    Experimental RNAi02:15

    Experimental RNAi

    RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
    Abnormal Proliferation02:23

    Abnormal Proliferation

    Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
    Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

    Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

    Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
    When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
    Such genes that act...
    The Ras Gene02:38

    The Ras Gene

    The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
    Ras is a superfamily...
    Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

    Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

    Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
    RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
    Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

    Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

    Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...