oncogene

[ ong-kuh-jeen ]

nounGenetics.
  1. any gene that is a causative factor in the initiation of cancerous growth.

Origin of oncogene

1
First recorded in 1965–70; onco- + gene

Words Nearby oncogene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for oncogene

oncogene

/ (ˈɒŋkəʊˌdʒiːn) /


noun
  1. any of several genes, first identified in viruses but present in all cells, that when abnormally activated can cause cancer

Origin of oncogene

1
C20 from Gk onkos mass, tumour + gene

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for oncogene

oncogene

[ ŏnkə-jēn ]


  1. A gene that causes normal cells to become cancerous either because the gene is mutated or because the gene is expressed at the wrong time in development. See Note at cancer.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for oncogene

oncogene

[ (ong-kuh-jeen) ]


Genes in animal DNA that cause cancer.

Notes for oncogene

Every cell contains genes that, when altered slightly, can become oncogenes.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.