[Oncogenesis in transgenic mice]

Oncogenesis in transgenic mice is at present a model, most adequately reflecting the natural conditions of tumor development. One of more important traits of this model is that it allows to study malignant growth simultaneously at all the structure-function levels in the context of the whole organism. This paper is a review of results of a series of experiments in which the localization of tumors was dependent or independent on the tissue specificity of a promoter, as well as development of multiple tumors with the use of viral regulatory sequences in genetic constructions. It has been shown that although a transgene is expressed in most of the tissues, tumors develop in some particular tissues only. These observations are interpreted by some authors in favour of the concept of multistep cancerogenesis. In this view, of primary importance are the results of studies on oncogenesis in transgenic mice, which contradict this concept and are regarded by their authors as an evidence of the possibility of a one-step transformation of normal cell into malignant one. The analysis of the obtained material enabled us to put forward an assumption that the key role in oncogenesis is played not only by certain genetic disturbances, but also by multi-level homeostatic mechanisms. Apparently, it is just the transgenic mice with cellular or viral oncogenes in their genome that represent a more adequate model for the detection of certain molecular-biological mechanisms underlying these disturbances. Also, of much importance is abundant material accumulated by now on oncogenesis of transgenic mice which shows a possibility of the effective use of various genetic constructions with prokaryotic and eukaryotic regulatory sequences, a possibility to induce not only tumors of some particular tissues, but also multiple hyperplastic and neoplastic changes in one and the same mouse. Development of tumors in such transgenic mice can be regarded as a model of different types of cancer disease.