The transcription factor E2F: a crucial switch in the control of homeostasis and tumorigenesis

Abstract

The transcription factor E2F plays a crucial role in governing cell proliferation through manipulation of the expression of many genes required for cell cycle progression. As studies are exploring in depth, E2F has grown into a multimember family and has been required for the regulation of a large number of genes involved in various cellular processes. The expanding E2F membership and biological function provide us some new insights relating to the evolution of E2F. One of them is to understand the exact mechanisms by which E2F executes in these different cellular processes during ontogenesis. This review summarizes recent advances in this field, with an emphasis on a notion that E2F acts as a molecular switch in the control of both normal cell and tumor development.