THE INFLUENCE OF PROTO-ONCOGENES ON TYPICAL PATTERNS OF GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Proto-oncogenes, also known as cellular oncogenes, plays a vital role in regulating normal cell growth. Their malfunction can lead to cancer, highlighting their significance. Most oncogenes encode intracellular proteins involved in signal transduction pathways and belong to closely related gene families. Families like erbB, ros, and fms encode membrane receptors with tyrosine kinase activity. Src family oncogenes, also tyrosine kinases, act as kinase subunits for independent receptors. Intracellular signaling occurs through phosphorylation of substrates such as phosphatidylinositol pathway kinases and cytoplasmic kinases. Ras oncogenes, conserved GTP-binding proteins, modulate signaling from membrane kinases. Oncogenes coding for nuclear DNA-binding proteins, phosphorylated by kinases like raf, regulate gene expression through dimerization. DNA-binding proteins, such as helix-loop-helix proteins (myc, MyoD, myogenin) and leucine zipper proteins (fos, jun), influence cell growth. Antioncogenes, like Rb and p53, counteract growth by inhibiting it.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.65525/SVUP.9788198800473.2025.359-838