Abstract
At first glance, neoplastic transformation seems unquestionably to be caused by gene mutation, because cancer cells transmit their tumorigenic property to their progeny and many carcinogenic agents cause mutations in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (Braun, 1974; Markert, 1978). However, this need not be the case, because changes in gene expression (e.g., those responsible for cell differentiation during embryonic development) can also be transmitted by cells to their progeny (Pierce and Cox, 1978; Pierce et al., 1978). Because of this heritability, carcinogen-induced changes in gene expression responsible for neoplastic transformation would resemble mutations, although they would be completely reversible under appropriate circumstances. Support for this alternative is provided by the following facts: the frequency of neoplastic transformation is often very much higher than that of mutations (Braun, 1974); neoplastic transformation is often associated with changes in gene expression resulting in the reappearance of fetal antigens and inappropriate hormone production (Uriel, 1975); a large proportion of the progeny of the proliferating malignant cells in many tumors (e.g., squamous cell carcinomas) in vivo produce proliferatively inactivated, nontumorigenic, differentiated progeny (Pierce and Cox, 1978; Pierce et al., 1978); and highly malignant mouse teratocarcinoma cells can cooperate with normal cells to produce a completely normal adult mouse after their insertion into a blastocyst (Mintz, 1978).
Issued as N.R.C.C. No.: 17718.
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Boynton, A.L., Swierenga, S.H.H., Whitfield, J.F. (1981). The Calcium-Independence of Neoplastic Cell Proliferation: A Promising Tool for Carcinogen Detection. In: Stich, H.F., San, R.H.C. (eds) Short-Term Tests for Chemical Carcinogens. Topics in Environmental Physiology and Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5847-6_32
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5847-6_32
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