Genomic amplification of colorectal cancer. Fluorescence light micrograph of colon cancer cells from a mouse being studied to understand the genetic processes involved. Here, a process called genomic amplification has highlighted the oncogene c-myc (yellow) in a mouse model of human colorectal cancer. The oncogene is dispersed in so-called micronuclei. An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. Myc is a regulator gene that is often found in mutated form in many cases of cancer. The mutated form of the gene promotes the cell proliferation that is characteristic of cancer.