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oncogene

[ong-kuh-jeen]

noun Genetics.

any gene that is a causative factor in the initiation of cancerous growth.

Origin of oncogene

First recorded in 1965–70; onco- + gene
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for oncogene

oncogene

noun

any of several genes, first identified in viruses but present in all cells, that when abnormally activated can cause cancer

Word Origin for oncogene

C20 from Gk onkos mass, tumour + gene
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for oncogene
n.

1969, from onco- + -gene, from root of Greek gignere (perf. genui) "beget," from PIE *gen- "produce" (see genus). Related: Oncogenesis (1832).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
oncogene in Medicine

oncogene

[ŏng′kə-jēn]

n.

A gene that causes the transformation of normal cells into cancerous tumor cells, especially a viral gene that transforms a host cell into a tumor cell.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
oncogene in Science

oncogene

[ŏn′kə-jēn]

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. See Note at cancer.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
oncogene in Culture

oncogene

[(ong-kuh-jeen)]

Genes in animal DNA that cause cancer.

Note

Every cell contains genes that, when altered slightly, can become oncogenes.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.