Insight on Cancer

Oncogenes & Tumor Suppressor Genes

Oncogenes

• An oncogene is a mutated gene whose protein product stimulates excessive divsion.

• Oncogenes are considered as "dominant"; which refers to the characteristic that a mutation in only one allele is sufficient for an effect.

• An oncogene that produces a growth factor receptor with increased activity because it has been altered so that it is always in the "on" state and does not require growth factor to transduce a signal into the cell.

Tumor Suppressor Genes

• Tumor Suppressor Genes causes loss of function within a cell and results in increased cell division.

• Code for proteins that play a role in inhibiting both growth and tumor formation.