Normally, cells which have lost a classical tumor suppressor gene become highly proliferative and resistant to apoptosis, thus permitting autonomous tumor growth. However, the Bergmann Lab has discovered a novel class of tumor suppressor genes: non-autonomous tumor suppressors. If these genes are mutant, it is not the mutant cells which are overgrowing. Instead, the mutant cells influence the behavior of neighboring wild-type (non-mutant) cells and promote their proliferation and increased apoptotic resistance, causing non-autonomous overgrowth.

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