Regulator Gene for Tumor Angiogenesis Identified

Researchers have found that the c-Myc gene, a member of the Myc family of oncogenes that is commonly activated in a variety of human cancers, is essential for tumor development, as it regulates factors necessary for the growth of the blood vessels that supply blood to the developing tumors (angiogenesis). Their findings were published in the October 1, 2002, issue of Genes & Development.

To evaluate the physiological role of c-Myc, investigators from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, TN, USA) developed a strain of transgenic mice that is deficient in the gene. The c-myc-deficient mice fail to survive as embryos due to cardiac and neural defects. Furthermore, the embryos show marked defects in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and the formation of red blood cells. The researchers found that the vascular defects in the c-Myc-deficient mice arise from the mis-expression of intercellular signals that coordinate vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during development.

Senior author Dr. John Cleveland explained, "The goal of this study was to determine the role of c-Myc in development. These studies established that c-Myc is essential for the formation of the vasculature that distributes blood throughout the organism, and that it does so by functioning as a master regulator of factors that are necessary for the growth of blood vessels and capillaries. The surprising result was that these studies also revealed why Myc family genes are activated in 70% of all human cancers.”




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