APP Cancer I (part 2) Flashcards
Lecture 2: APP
Carcinomas originate in what cell line?
Carcinomas are cancer of epithelial origin
If the cells are well differentiated, is it most likely a benign or malignant tumor?
Benign - well differentiated cells, specialized features of the parent cell is preserved (e.g. hormone release)
What kind of cells proliferate in adults?
- Bone marrow myeloblasts - Immune Cells - Epidermal cells - Epithelial cells (e.g. gut) - Regenerating Tissues
If a tumor is well demarcated, it is probably….. (benign or malignant)?
Benign - usually well demarcated/encapsulated masses - no invasion of the surrounding tissue
lack of differentiation indicates that a tumor is ____
malignant (Lack of differentiation = anaplasia)
Proto-oncogenes encode for proteins that normally___ cell proliferation
stimulate
In cancers, the oncogenes have sustained gain-of-function alterations resulting from 3 possible events….
- point mutations - chromosomal rearrangements - gene amplification
Protooncogenes are affected by ____ factors
Growth Factors
Proto-oncogene mutations usually arise somatically in tumor cells and are _____ (dominant or recessive?)
dominant
What are the mechanisms of oncogene activation?
- Point mutation - Gene amplification - Chromosomal Translocation
Describe protooncogene assoication with growth factor receptors?
- Mutated or truncated forms of the receptors with constitutive activity - Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor - ERBB1 is truncated in glioblastoma
2 types of cancer caused by overexpression of autocrine growth factors:
- Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in glioblastomas. - Transforming growth factor α (TGF-α) in sarcomas.
Overexpression of growth factor RECEPTORS in 2 types of cancers:
- ERBB1 in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung - ERBB2 (HER2) in breast cancer
RAS encodes?
p21 G-protein
_____ mutations are the most common abnormalities in human cancer, particularly high incidence in colon and pancreatic cancers.
RAS
How is p21 G-protein involved in GF signaling?
- p21 transmits mitogenic signal from an activated GF receptor to the nucleus - (through phosphorylation cascade of transducing proteins)
_____ mutations changing amino acids in the pocket binding GTP and region essential for GTP hydrolysis lead to constitutive activation of RAF-MAPK mitogenic cascade
Point mutations (RAS pathway)
Describe ABL and what it promotes
Non-receptor tyrosine kinase, promotes apoptosis;
The BCR-ABL fusion protein retains in cytoplasm and, due to its high _______ activity, stimulates several pathways, including RAS-RAF mitogenic cascade.
Tyrosine kinase activity
What do nuclear transcription factors stimulate?
Stimulate expression of several growth-related genes, such as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)
Describe the nuclear transcription factor MYC…
The most commonly involved in human cancer
In burkitt lymphoma, what is overexpressed due to a translocation to the chromosome 14, in close proximity to an Ig gene.
MYC nuclear transcription factor
In breast, lung and other cancers, what is overexpressed due to gene amplification?
MYC nuclear transcription factor
Amplification of related genes _____ and _____ are common in neuroblastoma and small cell cancer of lung, respectively.
N-MYC.
L-MYC.
Dysregulation of cyclin and ____ expression or their mutations occur often in cancer cells and promote proliferation
CDK
The most common perturbations affect proteins involved in G1-S transition?
Overexpression of cyclin D (breast, esophagus, liver cancers, lymphomas) Amplification of CDK4 (melanomas, sarcomas, glioblastomas)
Tumor supressor genes encode proteins, which normally ____ cell proliferation or stimulate apoptosis upon cell damage
inhibit cell proliferation
Tumor Suppressor genes are _____ in cancer cells
inactivated
TSGenes are inactivated in cancer cells by _______ leading to uncontrolled growth. (4)
mutations, truncation, deletions or methylation
Mutations of TSGs are usually _____ - two alleles must be altered to lose their function
Recessive
Inherited mutations of the TSGs contribute to _______ cancers
Familial cancers
_______ cancers develop earlier in age than sporadic malignancies and often arise in multiple locations
Hereditary
Mechanisms of Tumor suppressor gene inactivation? (list 3)
Point mutations, deletions, epigenetic changes (methylation of the promoter)
RB (Tumor suppressor gene) encodes DNA-binding protein, which controls ______ checkpoint
G1 - S checkpoint
In quiescent cells, an active hypophosphorylated RB prevents activation of ______ genes
S-phase