Oncogenes and glial tumors

Abstract

Results of numerous studies indicate that both activation of dominant oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes play important roles in the genesis and progression of human gliomas. Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (erbB1 oncogene) as the result of gene amplification or rearrangement is the best established example of a dominant oncogene involved in glioma development. There is also suggestive evidence for activation of the ros oncogene in gliomas, and activation of a variety of other dominant oncogenes may be operative in individual tumors. Deletion studies suggest that inactivation of tumor suppressor genes on chromosomes 17p (probably the p53 gene), 10, 9p and 22 also play roles in genesis and progression of human gliomas. Additional work remains to be done to identify other dominant oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes involved in gliomas, and to determine how these various factors interact to cause disease.