Revista de histología molecular y fisiología médica

Discovery of Viral Oncogenes

Abstract

Lakshmi Bhai

In a wide range of animals and people, retroviruses are cancer-causing. The study of retroviruses has shed light on the mechanisms underlying human oncogenesis, including the identification of viral and cellular proto-oncogenes. The processes through which non-acute retrovirusesretroviruses without oncogenes-cause cancer are the focus of this review. The recurring idea is that these cancers develop as a result of viral DNA integration activating cellular proto-oncogenes by insertional activation. Review of early studies on proto-oncogene insertional activation in cancers brought on by viruses. Searches for common insertion sites (CISs) in virus-induced malignancies have helped researchers studying non-acute retroviruses find new proto-oncogenes. Retroviral infection of genetically susceptible mice (retroviral tagging) has been used to discover cellular proto-oncogenes active in particular oncogenic pathways and has helped to shed light on the cooperation between various proto-oncogenes in the development of tumours. The availability of the mouse genome sequence, high throughput DNA sequencing, and the PCR cloning of viral integration sites have all sped up the pace of proto-oncogene identification. Insertional activation has been shown to be a substantial danger in gene therapy studies using retroviral vectors to treat genetic abnormalities. Studies on non-acute retroviral oncogenesis shed light on the mechanics of oncogenesis as well as potential hazards.