ABSTRACT
The myc genes encode short-lived nuclear phosphoproteins, with putative roles in the regulation of normal cell growth and differentiation during embryogenesis and adult life. The myc genes are well conserved between species as divergent evolutionarily as fruit fly and man. The developing human fetal brain is an interesting model for studying the developmental expression of the myc genes, and in particular their coupling to cell proliferation and differentiation in vivo. The myc proteins are diffusely distributed throughout the cytoplasm of mitotic cells, while in interphase cells they localize in the nuclei in a granular pattern excluding nucleoli. The presence of independent genetic lesions that cause the formation of identical chimeric rlf-L-myc proteins suggests a role for the fusion protein in the development of these tumors.
