2010/02/19 by Natalia V. Kirienko, Kumaran Mani, David S. Fay
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms #Microtubule and mitosis dynamics #Reproductive Biology and Fertility
paper · doi:10.1002/dvdy.22247
openalex publication_date 2010/02/19 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Although now dogma, the idea that nonvertebrate organisms such as yeast, worms, and flies could inform, and in some cases even revolutionize, our understanding of oncogenesis in humans was not immediately obvious. Aided by the conservative nature of evolution and the persistence of a cohort of devoted researchers, the role of model organisms as a key tool in solving the cancer problem has, however, become widely accepted. In this review, we focus on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its diverse and sometimes surprising contributions to our understanding of the tumorigenic process. Specifically, we discuss findings in the worm that address a well-defined set of processes known to be deregulated in cancer cells including cell cycle progression, growth factor signaling, terminal differentiation, apoptosis, the maintenance of genome stability, and developmental mechanisms relevant to invasion and metastasis.