The Oncogene And Tumour Suppressor Gene Factsbook

The Second Edition of The Oncogene and Tumour Suppressor Gene FactsBook has been completely revised, updated, and expanded by 60%. The book contains more than 80 entries on oncogenes including JUN, MYC, and RAS, as well as DNA tumour viruses, tumour suppressor genes, including p53, retinoblastoma, BRCA1, BRCA2, VHL, F2FL, and essential material on angiogenesis and metastasis, apoptosis, cell cycle control, and gene therapy. Includes much new data on this fast-moving field, including newly discovered oncogenes Summarizes the clinical association and molecular properties of all known oncogenes and tumor suppression genes Contains more than 2000 terms for reference and further research Revised to included signaling pathways, apoptosis, and metastasis

The Oncogene FactsBook is a condensed version of the Oncogene Handbook, in the FactsBook Series format. The key information on oncogenes, tumor viruses, and tumor suppressor genes has been selected from the Handbook and arranged in the series style to that the essential information is readily accessible. The introduction summarizes the principal developments in our understanding of oncogenes, the presente position with regard to gene therapy for human cancers, and discusses patterns of oncogene expression in human tumors. Chapter 2 contains tables of the major categories of oncogenes that include a summary of the properties of those oncogenes which do not have individual sections. Chapter 3 covers the individual oncogenes in a constant format for each entry. DNA tumor viruses and tumor suppressor genes are considered separately in two sections. The minimum number of references has been included in order to give the reader rapic access to the literature in the key areas of structure and function of each gene and its product. The emphasis has thus been placed on listing the most up-to-date references, rather than an extensive bibliography. The Oncogene FacsBook contains more that 60 entries on oncogenes including: JUN, MAS, MYC, MAX, and RAS, as well as DNA tomur viruses, tumor suppressor genes, and essential introductory material. * Individual Oncogene Entries include: * Identification * Related genes * Chromosomal Location and Mass * Cellular Location * Tissue Distribution * Protein function * Cancer * Amino acid Sequence * Domain structure * Database accession numbers * Key references

A tumour suppressor gene is a gene that reduces the probability that a cell in a multicellular organism will turn into a tumor cell. A mutation or deletion of such a gene will increase the probability of the formation of a tumor. Unlike oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes generally follow the 'two-hit hypothesis', which implies that both alleles that code for a particular gene must be affected before an effect is manifested. This is due to the fact that if only one allele for the gene is damaged, the second can still produce the correct protein. However, there are cases where mutations in only one allele will cause an effect. A notable example is the gene that codes for p53. Tumor suppressor genes, or more precisely, the proteins for which they code, either have a dampening or repressive effect on the regulation of the cell cycle or promote apoptosis, and sometimes do both. This book presents new and important research from throughout the world.

Powerful new tools are now available to discover and understand tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and the biochemical mechanisms by which they control cancer development and progression. Volume 1: Pathways and Isolation Strategies, covers all known tumor suppressor genes, describing their cellular signaling pathways, how they were discovered, how they can be analyzed, and how they can be optimally used in cancer therapeutics Comprehensive and authoritative, the two volumes of Tumor Suppressor Genes provide an unparalleled compilation of key data on all known tumor suppressor pathways and a treasury of techniques for their discovery, analysis, and uses in cancer therapeutics. Volume 2: Regulation, Function, and Medicinal Applications, leading physician scientists and researchers explore the cell biology and biochemical function of the tumor suppressor genes, as well as their physiological role in vivo. The authors detail the physical methods-NMR, microarray approaches, posttranslational structure analysis, analysis of regulation at the gene expression and protein signaling levels-used to understand the function of tumor suppressor genes. In vivo approaches discussed include studies in yeast, Drosophila, mice, and human tumors. The authors also discuss how one ultimately derives a "tumor progression model," the drug discovery process, and the weaknesses of cancers that allow drugs to selectively kill them. Other aspects reviewed include screening strategies, targeting the blood supply of tumors, and the replacement of defective cancer genes to achieve a therapeutic effect.

Research in the last few years has shown that deranged oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes play a major role in the development of many cancers. First discovered in obscure animal viruses and rare cancers, they have emerged over the past decade as key regulators of the growth and metabolism of normal cells. Defining the state of these genes is relevant to the diagnosis and prognosis of tumours. Now, the focus of attention is turning to ways of attacking abnormal oncogenes or replacing defective tumour suppressor genes as a new approach to the treatment of cancer.

It has become clear that tumors arise from excessive cell proliferation and a c- responding reduction in cell death. Tumors result from the successive accumulation of mutations in key regulatory target genes over time. During the 1980s, a number of oncogenes were characterized, whereas from the 1990s to the present, the emphasis shifted to tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). It has become clear that oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes function in the same pathways, providing positive and ne- tive growth regulatory activities. The signaling pathways controlled by these genes involve virtually every process in cell biology, including nuclear events, cell cycle, cell death, cytoskeletal, cell membrane, angiogenesis, and cell adhesion effects. Tumor suppressor genes are mutated in hereditary cancer syndromes, as well as somatically in nonhereditary cancers. In their normal state, TSGs control cancer development and p- gression, as well as contribute to the sensitivity of cancers to a variety of therapeutics. Understanding the classes of TSGs, the biochemical pathways they function in, and how they are regulated provides an essential lesson in cancer biology. We cannot hope to advance our current knowledge and to develop new and more effective therapies without understanding the relevant pathways and how they influence the present approaches to therapy. Moreover, it is important to be able to access the powerful tools now available to discover these genes, as well as their links to cell biology and growth control.

David Fisher, MD, PhD, and an authoritative panel of academic, cutting-edge researchers review and summarize the current state of the field. Describing the broad roles of tumor suppressors from a perspective based in molecular biology and genetics, the authors detail the major suppressors and the pathways they regulate, including cell cycle progression, stress responses, apoptosis, and responses to DNA damage. Leading-edge and forward-looking, Tumor Suppressor Genes in Human Cancer illuminates what is currently known of tumor suppressor genes and their regulation, work that is already beginning to revolutionize cancer target elucidation, drug discovery, and treatment design.

The first edition of Oncogenes (1989) focused on several of the better known transforming mechanisms and surveyed a spectrum of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Several of the nearly 50 known oncogenes most relevant to human disease were examined. In contrast, this volume presents a very different profile and balance of subject material that reflects the rapidly changing field of molecular oncology and its newly emerging concepts. Among the most important discoveries of the past 4 years are the identification of nearly a dozen different tumor suppressor genes and the finding of an entirely new class of cancer-causing gene (bcl-2) that acts by inhibiting cell death rather than stimulating cell proliferation. This edition begins by reviewing selected malignancies in which our earlier search for clinically relevant oncogenes has led to more focused studies on gain-of-function and loss-of-function genetic abnormalities, as well as autocrine and paracrine growth factor loops known to regulate tumor physiology and malignant cell behavior. Curiously, many of these genetic and functional abnormalities are shared by several different tumor types and are not uniformly present in all tumors of the same type. This observation brings up molecular questions about the tissue-specific determinants that underlie individual cancers and also gives added impetus to the suggestion that molecular abnormalities (referred to as tumor markers) be included among the histopathologic features used for clinical diagnosis and manage ment.

Oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes have been the focus of much research because of their role not only in cancer but also in normal cell growth and differentiation. Oncogenes and Tumour Suppressors is a unique volume that brings together a team of leading researchers to present and critically assess our current knowledge. The book covers two major areas of interest: oncogenes and signal transduction, and tumour supressors and cell cycle control. Topics covered include the mechanisms of oncogene perturbation; growth factors and their receptors in cell transformation; oncogenic cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases; the RAS/RAP/ERK signal transduction pathway; oncogenic transcription factors; mammalian cell cycle control; the retinoblastoma gene product and its relatives; the tumour suppressor gene p53; tumour suppressors and the inheritance of cancer; the clinical relevance of oncogenes. Oncogenes and Tumour Suppressors is a major review work that provides an unparalleled summary of our current understanding of this field as viewed by some of its leading researchers. It is of interest to all those involved in research on the cell cycle, signal transduction, and cancer biology. The book is also an excellent reference source with over 1800 selected citations to the primary literature.