Studies of the retinoblastoma gene can still deliver surprises, and enlightenment. Several of the abnormalities in mice lacking this gene are, it seems, the indirect consequence of a placental defect. On page 942 of this issue, Wu et al. describe a surprising new observation about the function of Rb, the gene that is mutated in retinoblastoma cancers. Rb is often described as a prototype for tumour suppressors ― that priceless category of genes that, among other tasks, protect us from developing cancers ― as it was the first gene of this type to be identified. The biochemical and cellular properties of its protein product have been investigated in great detail, and the characteristics of Rb-deficient mice have been studied for over a decade. One might think that there is little left to be learned. But how wrong that would be! The results reported by Wu et al. force us to view the abnormal development of-Rb-deficient mice from a completely new perspective.
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