What is the term for a mutated gene that has the potential to promote cell growth and division, potentially causing cancer?

The term for a mutated gene that has the potential to promote cell growth and division, potentially leading to cancer, is an oncogene. Oncogenes are derived from normal genes known as proto-oncogenes, which are involved in regulating cell growth and differentiation. When a proto-oncogene mutates, it can become an oncogene, leading to the unchecked cell proliferation that characterizes cancer.

Oncogenes typically code for proteins that are involved in signaling pathways that stimulate cell division. When these genes become hyperactive due to mutations, the normal regulatory mechanisms that control cell growth are disrupted, which can result in the formation of tumors.

In contrast, tumor suppressor genes are responsible for slowing down cell division or triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death). Mutations in these genes can lead to cancer as well, but their role is different from that of oncogenes. Proto-oncogenes are the unmutated form that, under normal conditions, help regulate cell division but do not have the cancerous potential until they become oncogenes. A chimeric gene is a product of the fusion of two separate genes and does not specifically reference the promotion of cell growth and division as oncogenes do. Therefore, oncogene