Studies of the genetic events involved in the induction of cancer provide an opportunity to define the molecular basis of the disease and to study the regulation and function of important eukaryotic genes that control cell proliferation. Our research has focused on the c-myc oncogene, which has been implicated in a wide range of human tumors.
Similar translocations involving proto-oncogenes contribute to many other cancers.
The c-Myc oncoprotein is a transcription factor that dimerizes with another protein called Max, and the resulting heterodimer presumably activates a small set of cellular target genes. Studies of these genes should lead to an understanding of the downstream targets through which c-Myc promotes unrestrained cell growth.