AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The proto-oncogene, MYC, lies at the crossroads of many growth promoting signal transduction pathways and is an immediate early response gene downstream of many ligand-membrane receptor complexes (Armelin et al., 1984; Kelly et al., 1983) (Figure 1A).

Detailed explanation-2: -The MYCN gene belongs to a class of genes known as oncogenes. When mutated, oncogenes have the potential to cause normal cells to become cancerous. The MYCN gene is a member of the Myc family of oncogenes.

Detailed explanation-3: -One example of a well known proto-oncogene is the HER2 gene. This gene codes for a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. This protein receptor is involved in the growth, repair and division of cells in the breast.

Detailed explanation-4: -Myc is a family of regulator genes and proto-oncogenes that code for transcription factors. The Myc family consists of three related human genes: c-myc (MYC), l-myc (MYCL), and n-myc (MYCN).

Detailed explanation-5: -Expression of c-Myc is tightly controlled in normal cells, but becomes dysregulated and overexpressed in most human cancers [34], making it one of the most important human oncogenes.