Alterations in signal transduction pathways implicated in tumour progression during multistage mouse skin carcinogenesis

The multistage mouse skin carcinogenesis model, although an artificial one, is an ideal system to study the timing of qualitative and quantitative alterations which take place during the different stages of chemical carcinogenesis, allowing analysis of the events that lead to the transition from the stage of initiation to the stage of promotion and finally to the progression of carcinogenesis. In this review we focus on the role of the H-ras gene and its target molecules during mouse skin carcinogenesis. Besides H-ras, which is a critical target of chemical carcinogens, we report alterations in oncosuppressor genes. Finally, we examine the potential suppression of metastatic dynamics of spindle cells after biological or chemical inhibition of the signalling cascades involved in mouse skin carcinogenesis.