Biology: Concepts and Investigations 2nd Edition by Mariëlle Hoefnagels

Exercise 21

Scientists sometimes compare the genes that influence cancer development to the controls of a car. In this comparison, oncogenes are like an accelerator stuck in the "full throttle" position, and mutated tumor suppressor genes are like brakes that don't work. How do the roles of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes relate to this analogy?