Oncogene expression and regulation in normal lymphocytes and lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune diseases.

The discovery of oncogenes has offered new insights into the physiology of lymphocytes. Proto-oncogenes encode proteins that are associated with the control of lymphocyte activation, proliferation and differentiation. Mononuclear cells from patients and animals with autoimmune disorders express increased quantities of oncogenes such as c-myc, c-myb and c-raf. In this review we discuss some of the cellular and molecular events associated with lymphocyte activation and the role that the oncogenes play in each of these events. The regulation of the expression of oncogenes in these cells is also reviewed. Finally, the role of the increased oncogene expression in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is discussed.