A NEW GENE WHICH IS FREQUENTLY INACTIVED IN HUMAN CANCERS - THE P16 PROTEIN-A CELL-CYCLE REGULATOR

Comprehension of cell cycle regulation mechanisms progressed very quic kly the past few years. The last discovery concern a known gene, MTS1 (Multiple Tumor suppressor), encoding a protein of M(r) 16K, intrinsic component of the cell cycle machinery. p16 protein inhibits an enzyme called CDK4 (cyclin-dependant kinase 4) which is a kinase implicated in the control of cell proliferation between the G1 and S phases. Now, a team reported that MTS1 gene is frequently inactivated in a wide va riety of human cancers. This important finding will provide a new link between cell cycle control and oncogenesis, if MTS1 is proved to be a classic tumor suppressor gene.