Are activated proto-onc genes cancer genes?

The main objective of cancer molecu~ar biology is to identity cancer genes. ~espite fierce efforts, this objective has still not been met [1-3]. As yet the only known cancer genes are the transformin~ one g~n.e~ of retroviruses. Typically these VIruses InItiate and maintain cancers with autonomous transforming genes that ~re domina~t in susceptible cells [5]. The dIsc~very of ~Ingle gene determinants of cancer In retroVIruses has become a precedent that has infected cancer gene research. It has made retroviral one genes the favorite models of cellular oncogenes, although th~ releva~ce of single-gene models to VIrus-negative tumors is as yet unknown. Fortunately, one genes are either detrimental or at least useless to the viability of the virus and thus are not maintained by retroviruses. They are the products of rare, genetic ac.cid~nts, generated by illegitimate recombmatIOns between retroviruses and cellular genes,