EMERGING ROLES FOR PAX TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN CANCER BIOLOGY

Pax genes are transcription factors which act as essential control gen es during the establishment of embryonic cell lineages. Recent evidenc e now demonstrates that their expression is deregulated by different m echanisms in several tumor types including Wilms' tumors, rhabdomyosar comas, brain tumors and lymphomas. The oncogenic role of PAX proteins in tumor development is now subject of intensive investigations and ma y include stimulation of the rate of proliferation as well as inhibiti on of the apoptotic program. In addition, the expression of PAX genes in these cancers might serve as a diagnostic and probably also prognos tic tool.