Protein synthesis, cell growth and oncogenesis

Two lines of investigation support a new hypothesis concerning the role of protein synthesis in the mitogenic pathway. The first is that a variety of mitogens and oncogene products increase phosphorylation and thereby activate eIF-4E, which is involved in the rate-limiting transfer of mRNA to ribosomes. The second is that overexpression or microinjection of eIF-4E induce rapid cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation.     

反转录病毒感染与肿瘤发生

病毒感染与癌症的关系是生物医学领域中非常重要的研究方向, 估计当前全世界至少20% 人类肿瘤的发生与病毒感染有密切联系。本文对反转录病毒诱发肿瘤的各种作用机制进行了详细阐述。根据致病速度的快慢, 反转录病毒被分为两大类: 能迅速诱导肿瘤产生的急性转化反转录病毒和缓慢诱导肿瘤产生的非急性转化反转录病毒。急性转化反转录病毒通过其自身携带的癌基因快速诱导肿瘤产生, 而细胞原癌基因的插入激活则是非急性转化反转录病毒引起肿瘤的主要机制。对反转录病毒致瘤机制的研究揭示了肿瘤发生过程中的一些重要原理和机制, 包括原癌基因激活以及肿瘤抑制基因失活等, 对探讨非病毒引起的人类肿瘤的发生机制同样具有重要的参考意义。     

JNK regulation of oncogenesis

The literature provides strong precedent for both pro-tumorigenic and tumor suppressor roles for the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) in the setting of oncogenesis. Clearly, JNKs are activated by numerous oncogenes and growth factors and the literature documents a role for these MAP kinases in cell proliferation and transformation. By contrast, JNKs mediate signals from diverse stimuli that result in cell death or differentiation and a role for JNKs as tumor suppressors has emerged. This enigmatic nature of the JNKs in the setting of oncogenesis is considered herein. Further illumination of the complex and context-dependent functions of the JNKs in cancer cells is of obvious importance for the rational use of small molecule JNK inhibitors as therapeutics.     

Genome instability and oncogenesis

Molecular alterations leading to genome instability play a key role in tumor development. The basic causes of genetic instability of tumor cells are considered, including distorted regulation of the intracellular level of endogenous mutagens, in particular, reactive oxygen species; impaired fidelity of DNA replication and mitotic chromosome segregation; defects in DNA repair systems; and inactivation of cell-cycle checkpoints, which arrest proliferation of abnormal cells. The review discusses the causes of the tissue specificity of carcinogenesis due to genetic instability, as well as prospects of developing new means to control tumor growth via diminishing genome instability or using defects in the control of genome integrity for selective elimination of neoplastic cells.     

Mechanisms of EBV-mediated oncogenesis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the DNA tumor virus, which is known to be relevant to various cancers. EBV maintains latent infection in cancer cells, and there are three types of latent infection (type I-III) according to the patterns of viral latent genes expression. EBV has the ability to transform B cells into immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) showing type III latency, in which all latent genes are expressed. The mechanism of B-cell transformation has provided a model of EBV-associated lymphomas in immunosuppressed individuals. In type I and II latency, the limited numbers of latent genes are expressed. Previous studies have demonstrated the oncogenic functions of latent EBV genes including nuclear antigen EBNA1, membrane protein LMP1 and LMP2A. In addition, we have demonstrated that EBV-encoded small RNA EBERs play a significant role in oncogenesis. Here we summarize recent progresses in the studies on molecular mechanisms of EBV-mediated oncogenesis.     

Human papillomaviruses in oncogenesis

Papillomaviruses, long associated with benign skin tumors, have been linked more recently to human cancers, particularly to cervical carcinoma. Molecular analysis of the virus has identified the transforming gene and its regulation by both viral and cellular trans:-acting factors. This viral regulatory mechanism is altered in carcinomas. However, lack of progress in developing an in vitro system has hampered investigation of the viral life cycle and the biology of the virus--host: cell interaction.     

Induction, differentiation and oncogenesis

Eukaroytic cytodifferentiation usually leads to stable end-states. However, evidence on embryonic induction in amphibia supports the view that the initial stages of cellular maturation following induction of differentiation are comparatively labile, stability being a property acquired during maturation.Early developing cells may therefore retain the capacity for reversion to their previous, less developed, condition and a proportion of any group of induced cells may do so. Possible implications of such a phenomenon are explored, using two kinetic models of reversion. It is concluded that reversion is a possible mechanism in leukaemogenesis and other forms of oncogenesis.     

Papillomaviruses and human oncogenesis.

During the past year, significant advances have been made in understanding the functions of the oncoproteins, E6 and E7, of human papillomaviruses that are associated with malignant genital tumors. In addition, important new information is now available on the responses of both the keratinocyte and of the individual following papillomavirus infection.     

Early events in ovarian oncogenesis

Ovarian cancer represents the most lethal of the gynecological neoplasms. The molecular and genetic events associated with early ovarian oncogenesis are still largely unknown, thus contributing to the lack of reliable biomarkers for disease detection. Since the majority of ovarian tumors are diagnosed at an advanced stage, the availability of early ovarian cancer tissue samples for molecular analyses is very limited. In this review, problems encountered in the study of early ovarian cancer are presented, along with the controversies concerning precursor lesions and stepwise progression towards ovarian malignancy. Experimental modeling in the development of ovarian cancer is also described, as well as genetic and epigenetic alterations associated with early ovarian cancer. Lastly, examples of technological advances in the study of early ovarian cancer are discussed. Hopefully, the increasing knowledge about molecular and genetic events involved in the early stages of ovarian tumorigenesis will provide the basis for management of ovarian cancer in the future.     

Cell polarity and epithelial oncogenesis

Pathologists have long recognized that tumour formation in epithelia leads to disruption of normal epithelial cell polarity. Despite this, few studies have taken advantage of new information on the biogenesis of cell polarity to analyse the process of epithelial oncogenesis. Recent studies of epithelial cell lines now indicate that the pattern of breakdown of polarity during oncogenesis may reflect the way in which normal epithelial cells achieve polarity. These results suggest not only a novel way to study the development of polarity in vitro, but also new ideas for the early detection of cancer.