Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes
- 1Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-4037
- 2Goodman Cancer Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada
- Correspondence: william.muller{at}mcgill.ca
Abstract
Breast cancer progression involves multiple genetic events, which can activate dominant-acting oncogenes and disrupt the function of specific tumor suppressor genes. This article describes several key oncogene and tumor suppressor signaling networks that have been implicated in breast cancer progression. Among the tumor suppressors, the article emphasizes BRCA1/2 and p53 tumor suppressors. In addition to these well characterized tumor suppressors, the article highlights the importance of PTEN tumor suppressor in counteracting PI3K signaling from activated oncogenes such as ErbB2. This article discusses the use of mouse models of human breast that recapitulate the key genetic events involved in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. Finally, the therapeutic potential of targeting these key tumor suppressor and oncogene signaling networks is discussed.
Footnotes
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Editors: Mina J. Bissell, Kornelia Polyak, and Jeffrey Rosen
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Additional Perspectives on The Mammary Gland as an Experimental Model available at www.cshperspectives.org
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