ROLE OF ONCOGENIC TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR C-MYC IN CELL-CYCLE REGULATION, APOPTOSIS AND METABOLISM

The myc gene was initially discovered as a prototypical retrovirally t ransduced oncogene. Over the decades, abundant evidence has emerged to support a causal role for the activated cellular gene, c-myc, in anim al and human tumors. The gene encodes an oncogenic helix-loop-helix le ucine zipper transcription factor that acts as a heterodimer with its partner protein, Max, to activate genes regulating the cell cycle mach inery as well as critical metabolic enzymes. The additional ability of c-Myc to repress transcription of differentiation-related genes sugge st that c-Myc is a central and key molecular integrator of cell prolif eration, differentiation and metabolism.