Srilata Bagchi (University of Illinois at Chicago): "The loss of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene function has been associated with the etiology of various types of tumors. The product of this tumor suppressor gene, a 105-kilodalton polypeptide called pRB, `is a cell cycle regulator. The pRB polypeptide inhibits cell proliferation by arresting cells at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Cells committed for division inactivate pRB by phosphorylation at the G1/S boundary of the cell cycle. The pRB polypeptide is also a major target of several DNA virus oncoproteins (adenovirus E1A, SV40 T antigen, and papillomavirus E7). These viral proteins bind and inactivate pRB. This inactivation of pRB function strongly correlates with the oncogenic properties of these viral proteins.
"Our paper and those of others (L.R. Bandara, et al., Nature, 351:494-7, 1991; S. Chellappan, et al., Cell, 65:1053-61, 1991; and T. Chittenden, et al., Cell, 65:1073-82, 1991) provided insight into ...
