Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Box 116, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York 10021, USA. j-massague@ski.mskcc.org
Before replicating DNA during their reproductive cycle, our cells enter a phase called G1 during which they interpret a flood of signals that influence cell division and cell fate. Mistakes in this process lead to cancer. An increasingly complex and coherent view of G1 signalling networks, which coordinate cell growth, proliferation, stress management and survival, is helping to define the roots of malignancies and shows promise for the development of better cancer therapies.