oncogene
Americannoun
noun
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A gene that causes normal cells to become cancerous either because the gene is mutated or because the gene is expressed at the wrong time in development.
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See Note at cancer
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Every cell contains genes that, when altered slightly, can become oncogenes.
Etymology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is also a potent oncogene, meaning the very growth it promotes in skeletal muscle could stimulate cellular proliferation if overexpressed in organs like the liver, resulting in tumors.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024
The researchers studied nearly 6,000 breast tumors spanning various stages of disease to learn whether the subtype of each tumor correlated with the patients' germline oncogene sequences.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
For example, HER2-positive breast cancers involve a mutated HER2 oncogene, which produces a protein that increases the growth of cancer cells.
From Nature ● Mar. 24, 2020
If injected, it will spread through the entire body, undoing prenatal immunities, introducing resistances to oncogene therapy, and erasing all other genetic alterations, cosmetic and medical alike.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2019
They were attacking the cancer with a new cocktail: two chemo drugs and a protein receptor that they hoped would turn off the oncogene in Gus’s cancer.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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