Molecular Aspects of Colorectal Adenomas: The Interplay among Microenvironment, Oxidative Stress, and Predisposition

Figure 1

Hypothetical model of interaction between APC and oxidative stress in carcinogenesis. The figure shows a hypothetical model of inactivation of the APC gene that takes into account the influence of oxidative stress. In this model, the known “three-hit hypothesis” is further updated stating that mutant APC protein retains some functions. Thus, the third hit could affect the residual part of the gene with copy number gains or deletions. We now propose APC copy number gain in response to high levels of DNA damage caused by oxidative stress or by DNA-alkylating agents.