Genetics Chapter 19: Cancer and Regulation of the Cell Cycle – Flashcards
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            Metastasis
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        The ability of out of control cells to migrate and move around the body. Causes death from cancer.
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            Most forms of cancer arise in...
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        somatic cells. A very small amount of cancers that come from germ line mutations. Ex. Brecka1 and Brecka2 Breast Cancer
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            Genomic stability is the hallmark of cancer
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        Cancer cell's chromosomes can have serious problems.  • The effect of these mutations is not fully known.  • Parts can be added to chromosomes. Some cancers don't have messed up chromosomes.
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            Cancer
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        a genetic disease in which cells undergo uncontrolled growth and then can metastasize and move around the body.
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            Cancer starts with one cell-
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        Not all cancer cells in a tumor are the same. A lot of the cells change as cancer progresses. A lot of heterogeneous cells are made.
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            The Cancer Stem Hypothesis
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        Says that if you look at a tumor somewhere in that tumor is the type of cell that started it all.
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            Cancer stem cells are
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        abnormal stem cell that can cause a tumor. Chemo therapy doesn't really kill the stem cells. Stem Cells don't go fast and if they aren't killed then the cancer can come back.
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            The older you get the likelihood or ending up with cancer increases because...
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        It takes a while to accumulate the mutations to cause cancer. Also your cells get worse at repairing damaged DNA.
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            Genomic Instability and Defective DNA repair
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        If you have a defect in DNA repair the odds of getting cancer are very high. Ex. XP, Brecka1,2 Breast Cancer.
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            Types of Gene amplications
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        double minute chromosomes and homogeneous straining region
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            double minute chromosomes
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        DNA is so amplified that it exists outside of the chromosome. They aren't contain in a chromosomes.
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            Homogeneous staining region
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        Some region of a chromosome amplified over and over again. A huge chunk of the chromosome will stand out from the rest. Ex. FISH
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            FISH
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        when you take chromosome and hybridize fluorescent probe.
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            Philadelphia Chromosome
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        Translocation between chromosome 9(C-ABL) and 22(BCR). This is seen in most cases of Chronic myelogous leukemia(CML). This gives doctors an idea to how to treat this cancer. They were able to develop a drug to prohibit this translocation from happening by blocking the protein formed by the Philadelphia chromosome called Gleevec.
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            Immunotherapy
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        The idea of using the body's immune system to fight off foreign cancer cells. There are many different types.
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            The four major types of cancer
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        Triple negative, luminal A, Luminal B, HER2- enriched
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            Triple negative
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        isn't being stimulated by external hormones. Isn't treated by Lumina A and B. Has the worse prognosis.
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            Luminal A
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        the most common breast cancer and has the best prognosis. Can be treated by using medicines that work on cells that have estrogen receptors.
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            Luminal B
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        common with Luminal A.
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            HER2- enriched
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        Mutations in this are more similar to ovarian cancer. Uses treatments like ovarian cancer treatments.
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            HNPCC- Heredity Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer, also called Lynch Syndrome.
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        Called Nonpolyposis because they don't start with polypops. Happens if people have a defect in mismatch repair. The karyotype isn't crazy in this type of cancer. An example of parental, predisposition to Colon cancer. They are born with a mismatch repair defect.
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            CIN
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        chromosome instability
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            MIN- microsatallites instability
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        chromosomes look normal on the karyotype but it you look at the micro satellites they are very destabilized. Without mismatch repair they become very unstable.
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            If you are born with a mismatch repair defect
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        You don't start out with Cancer but the odds of getting cancer are very high. It isn't always colon cancer that occurs from this defect.
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            Cancer cells contain genetic defects which...
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        affect cell-cycle regualtion
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            CDK's- cyclin-dependent kinases-
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        phosphorylate proteins which alter their activities
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            Active CDK1/cyclin B complex phosphorylates protein and results in...
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        Breakdown of nuclear membrane, Reorganization of cytoskeleton, and Chromosome condensation
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            Bcl2 and BAX proteins help regulate apoptosis.
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        In some cancers there is an over expression of Bcl2 which makes the BAX proteins unable to make the cell go into apoptosis. In some cancers there is a defect in the BAX protein. In some cancers, p53, which makes BAX unable to act.
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            Oncogenes
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        in the genome a normal oncogene is called a proto-oncogene but when something is wrong with it it's called a oncogene. With oncogenes you may have a protein that makes it continue dividing or there might be one that just messes up the entire cell. Changing one protein in an oncogene can cause the cell to never stop dividing. Cyclin D1 and Cyclin E Proto-oncogenes- examples
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            ras Proto-oncogenes
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        involved in signal transduction. Can exist in an active or inactive state. In active state (GTP attached), the signal is sent to the nucleus. In inactive-state, the proteins are always on.
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            Signal Transduction
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        a signal is send inside the cell which makes it divide by turning on certain genes. One of the proteins involved is a ras proto-oncogenes.
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            Tumor suppressor genes
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        when you are not making enough there is a problem. Generally stop the cell cycle but when something is wrong with this it doesn't stop. The loss of the tumor suppressor causes problems
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            The p53 Tumor-Suppressor Gene- the guardian of the genome
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        • Plays a central role in regulating the cell cycle (checkpoints, apoptosis). • 60% of cancers involve a mutation in p53. • When your skin peels p53 has causes apoptosis to occur. → p53 is working. • Is induced when the cell notices DNA damage.  • Regulated entirely by stress. o If you are stress p53 is up but if you are relaxed p53 is down • Your cells will try to repair damage before it initiates apoptosis.
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            Familial Retinoblastoma
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        At one point in time a good copy of the RB1 is lost and then the bad RB1 cells cause uncontrolled cell growth and then you get Retinoblastoma.
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            Sporadic Retinoblastoma
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        You have to get a mutation in one allele of a cell and then you must loose heterozygosity. The first step of having a mutation in one allele is very unlikely. This takes a long time to develop and you will most likely have one tumor in one eye.
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            Cancer has
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        preferred metastasizing sites
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            Predisposition to Cancers can be inherited
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        You start our life as a heterozygote the odds of loosing heterozygosity is very high so it is likely you will get cancer later in life. Recessive but behave as if dominant.
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            Normal Colon Cancer involves the formation of polypses
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        APC is generally mutated which causes polypses. Then ras then DCC and the p53. The order of mutation doesn't matter because either way it has the same outcome. Some people are born with a bad copy of APC. They have FAP, which is a different type of familial disposition to cancer.
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            15% of cancers are associated with
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        viral infections
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            in animals but not humans...
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        the acute transforming virus (a retro virus) can infect animals and cause cancer.
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            In humans:
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        1. A virus may integrate into a tumor suppressor or next to an oncogene and cause problems 2. Other viruses can make proteins that block p53 and block pRB. Which directly affect cell cycle.
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            Gardasil
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        a vaccine that protects against papolonia virus and prevents cervical cancer
