I NSIGHT into normal and abnormal cell growth and differentiation may be obtained by identifying and analyzing the activity of highly specific genes, called oncogenes, whose coding sequences contain the information necessary to initiate and maintain neoplastic transformation. The identification of oncogenes and the characterization of the structure and function of these genes have progressed ra...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs which play essential roles in many important biological processes. Therefore, their dysfunction is associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Increasing evidence shows that miRNAs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, and although there is great interest in research into these cancer-associated miRNAs, little is known about th...

Retroviruses cause cancers in a variety of animals and humans. Research on retroviruses has provided important insights into mechanisms of oncogenesis in humans, including the discovery of viral oncogenes and cellular proto-oncogenes. The subject of this review is the mechanisms by which retroviruses that do not carry oncogenes (non-acute retroviruses) cause cancers. The common theme is that th...