A proto-oncogene that encodes a protein-tyrosine kinase and is activated by chromosome translocation in chronic myeloid leukemia.
adenoma
A benign tumor arising from glandular epithelium.
adenovirus
A widely-studied DNA tumor virus.
Akt
A protein-serine/threonine kinase that is activated by PIP3 and plays a key role in signaling cell survival.
angiogenesis
The formation of new blood vessels.
apoptosis
An active process of programmed cell death, characterized by cleavage of chromosomal DNA, chromatin condensation, and fragmentation of both the nucleus and the cell.
autocrine growth stimulation
Stimulation of cell proliferation as a result of growth factor production by a responsive cell.
Bcl-2
A member of a family of proteins that regulate programmed cell death.
benign tumor
A tumor that remains confined to its site of origin.
cancer
A malignant tumor.
carcinogen
A cancer-inducing agent.
carcinoma
A cancer of epithelial cells.
CCND1
The gene encoding cyclin D1, which is an oncogene in a variety of human cancers.
cell transformation
The conversion of normal cells to tumor cells in culture.
c-myc
A proto-oncogene that encodes a transcription factor and is frequently activated by chromosome translocation or gene amplification in human tumors.
contact inhibition
The inhibition of movement or proliferation of normal cells that results from cell-cell contact.
density-dependent inhibition
The cessation of the proliferation of normal cells in culture at a finite cell density.
Epstein-Barr virus
A human herpesvirus that causes B-cell lymphomas.
ErbA
The product of the erbA proto-oncogene. The thyroid hormone receptor.
erbB-2
A proto-oncogene encoding a receptor protein-tyrosine kinase that is frequently amplified in breast and ovarian carcinomas.
Fos
A transcription factor, encoded by a proto-oncogene, that is induced in response to growth factor stimulation.
hepatitis B virus
Member of a family of DNA viruses that infect liver cells and can lead to the development of liver cancer.
hepatitis C virus
Member of a family of RNA viruses that infect liver cells and can lead to the development of liver cancer.
herpesvirus
Member of a family of DNA viruses, some members of which induce cancer.
Jun
A transcription factor, encoded by a proto-oncogene, that is activated in response to growth factor stimulation.
Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus
A human herpesvirus that causes Kaposi’s sarcoma.
leukemia
Cancer arising from the precursors of circulating blood cells.
lymphoma
A cancer of lymphoid cells.
malignant tumor
A tumor that invades normal tissue and spreads throughout the body.
metastasis
Spread of cancer cells through the blood or lymphatic system to other organ sites.
oncogene
A gene capable of inducing one or more characteristics of cancer cells.
oncogene addiction
The dependence of cancer cells on the continuing activity of oncogenes.
p53
A transcription factor (encoded by the p53 tumor suppressor gene) that arrests the cell cycle in G1 in response to damaged DNA and is required for apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli.
papillomavirus
A member of a family of DNA viruses, some of which cause cervical and other anogenital cancers in humans.
phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)
An enzyme that phosphorylates PIP2, yielding the second messenger phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3).
PML/RARα
An oncogene formed by translocation of the retinoic acid receptor in acute promyelocytic leukemia.
polyomavirus
A widely-studied DNA tumor virus.
polyp
A benign tumor projecting from an epithelial surface.
programmed cell death
A normal physiological form of cell death characterized by apoptosis.
proto-oncogene
A normal cell gene that can be converted into an oncogene.
PTEN
A lipid phosphatase that dephosphorylates PIP3 and acts as a tumor suppressor.
raf
Gene encoding Raf proteins.
ras
Gene encoding Ras proteins.
retrovirus
A virus that replicates by making a DNA copy of its RNA genome by reverse transcription.
Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)
An acutely transforming retrovirus in which the first oncogene was identified.
sarcoma
A cancer of cells of connective tissue.
simian virus 40 (SV40)
A widely-studied DNA tumor virus.
src
Gene encoding Src protein.
stability gene
A gene that acts to maintain the integrity of the genome and whose loss can lead to the development of cancer.
tumor
Any abnormal proliferation of cells.
tumor initiation
The first step in tumor development, resulting from abnormal proliferation of a single cell.
tumor progression
The accumulation of mutations within cells of a tumor population, resulting in increasingly rapid growth and malignancy.
tumor promoter
A compound that leads to tumor development by stimulating cell proliferation.
tumor suppressor gene
A gene whose inactivation leads to tumor development.
tumor virus
A virus capable of causing cancer in animals or humans.
