Myc-mediated apoptosis.

Mammalian cells contain an intron-less myc gene, such as the rat s-myc gene and human myc L2 gene, which are expressed in rat embryo chondrocytes and human testis, respectively. Our recent findings demonstrated that s-Myc expression suppresses the growth activity and tumorigenicity of glioma cells, indicating that s-Myc acts as a negative regulator in tumor growth. In addition, we found that s-Myc overexpression can effectively induce apoptotic cell death in human and rat glioma cells without serum deprivation, which is distinct from c-Myc-mediated apoptosis.