Retinoblastoma (1F8), MMab

Summary and Explanation

The retinoblastoma protein (Rb) is a tumor-suppressor protein that is dysfunctional in many types of cancer. One highly studied function of Rb is to prevent excessive cell growth by inhibiting cell-cycle progression until a cell is ready to divide. Rb prevents the cell from replicating damaged DNA by preventing its progression along the cell cycle through G1 into S.

Should an oncogenic protein (such as that produced by cells infected with high-risk types of human papillomaviruses, SV40 or Adenoviruses) bind and inactivate Rb, this can lead to cancer. Retinoblastoma antibody may act by regulating transcription; loss of its function leads to uncontrolled cell growth. Aberrations in the Rb gene have been implicated in cancers of breast, colon, prostate, kidney, nasopharynx, and Leukemia.