Oncogene

1. A gene that played a normal role in the cell as a proto-oncogene and that has been altered by mutation and now may contribute to the growth of a tumor. Some of the more important oncogenes include: ras (a signal transduction molecule), myc (a transcription factor), src (a protein tyrosine kinase), HER-2/neu, also called erbB-2 (a growth factor receptor), hTERT (an enzyme involved in DNA replication), and Bcl-2 (a membrane associated protein that prevents apoptosis). 2. The name of the biomedical journal. Oncogene is a journal for researchers interested in the molecular biology of malignant change including molecular biologists, cell biologists, oncologists, geneticists and biotechnologists.