Mechanisms of reversion

Reversion of transformed cells provides biological system useful in multiple areas of cancer research. First, reversion can be induced by inhibiting the activities of specific oncogenes or replacing intact tumor suppressor genes, and such experiments yield important insights into the roles of these genes in carcinogenesis and normal growth regulation as well as the functional relationships between these genes and other known genes. Second, novel genes involved in growth regulation can be discovered by isolating revertants from transformed cells after mutagenesis or DNA transfection and then characterizing the genes responsible for the non‐transformed phenotype. Third, potential anti‐cancer drugs can be screened by reversion assay using cells transformed by specific oncogenes. The novel genes and chemicals discovered through these studies serve as valuable tools that help our understanding of how cells regulate their growth and differentiation.—Noda, M. Mechanisms of reversion. FASEB J. 7: 834‐846; 1993.