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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an oncogene?
A. A mutation causes it to gain a new function.
B. A mutation changes it to a proto-oncogene
Those are the two answers I was between, and the answer is supposedly B.
As I understand it, a proto-oncogene is a gene that, if mutated, causes cancer. This type of mutation is classified as a gain of function mutation.
So it makes sense to me that an oncogene could back-mutate and go back to a proto-oncogene, while a mutation to an oncogene would likely cause is to lose a function, not gain a new one, making A the better answer to the question. Anyone care to provide some explanation?
A. A mutation causes it to gain a new function.
B. A mutation changes it to a proto-oncogene
Those are the two answers I was between, and the answer is supposedly B.
As I understand it, a proto-oncogene is a gene that, if mutated, causes cancer. This type of mutation is classified as a gain of function mutation.
So it makes sense to me that an oncogene could back-mutate and go back to a proto-oncogene, while a mutation to an oncogene would likely cause is to lose a function, not gain a new one, making A the better answer to the question. Anyone care to provide some explanation?