Transforming Genes of Retroviruses: Definition, Specificity, and Relation to Cellular DNA

Deregulation of c-myc gene expression in human colon carcinoma is not accompanied by amplification or rearrangement of the gene.

“…Under normal circumstances, these genes are believed to play an important role in early development (36,37) and may also be involved in the control of cell growth (30,41), patterns of differentiation (22,32,42), and tissue repair processes (23,34). The myc gene itself was first recognized as the principal oncogenic sequence of MC29, an acute retrovirus which causes sarcomas and carcinomas, as well as myelocytomatosis and B-cell lymphomas, in chickens (17,24).…”

The mechanism of interferon effect on cell transformation by murine sarcoma virus

“…However, since retroviruses have been implicated in several cancers in man and animals (Axel et al, 1972;Balada et al, 1975;Friedman, 1978;Gross, 1978;Hehlmann et al, 1972;Meyskens, 1977;Oxman, 1973;Spiegelman et al, 1974Spiegelman et al, , 1975, and since IFN is a potent inhibitor of various retroviral functions (Aboud et al, 1980(Aboud et al, , 1981Billiau, 1977;Friedman, 1977), it is quite tempting to speculate that at least part of the antitumor activity of IFN might be related to its action against these viruses. Sarcoma retroviruses can directly and rapidly transform cells in culture due to an oncogenic gene present in their genome (Duesberg and Bister, 1980). Such viruses provide an excellent tool for testing the role of the antiviral properties of IFN in its antitumor action.…”