carcinogenesis Flashcards
regulation of cell migration: explain the cytoskeletal processes occurring during locomotion, recall the types and roles of actin binding proteins, explain the role of second messengers as control mechanisms for cytoskeletal components, and explain the significance of metastasis in cancer development and the cellular and molecular changes necessary for it to occur
4 molecular mechanisms that regulate motility in invasion
microfilaments, regulation of actin dynamics, cytoskeletal proteins, signalling proteins
structure of epithelium during homeostasis (become carcinoma)
epithelial cells (tightly cohesive cells, polarised, nucleus at base), basement membrane (“substratum”: support, protection), stroma
5 stages of tumour progression
homeostasis -> genetic alterations -> hyper-proliferation -> de-differentiation -> invasion
at what stage does a benign tumour form
hyper-proliferation (epipthelial cells in primary tumours are tightly bound together)
what 2 things happen in de-differentiation
disassembly of cell-cell contacts, loss of polarity
at what stage does a malignant tumour form
invasion
what 2 things happen in invasion
increased motility to break through basement membrane, cleavage of ECM proteins (find canals to migrate through dense stromal tissue into blood vessels)
what can cells do after metastising in blood stream
exit and invade a new organ, reacquiring new cell-cell contacts to form a new tumour
2 tumour cell migratory strategies
individual cells, collective cells
individual vs collective cell migration: metastatic potential
collective cells have higher metastatic potential than same number of individual cells
2 types of individual cell migration strategies
ameboid (round), mesenchymal (single cell)
tumour type of ameboid migration
lymphoma, leukaemia
tumour type of mesenchymal migration
fibrosarcoma, glioblastoma
3 types of collective cell migration strategies (must make more holes in stroma than individual cell migration)
mesenchymal (chain), cluster/cohorts, multicellular strands/sheets
tumour type of cluster/cohorts
epithelial cancer, melanoma
tumour type of mutlicellular strands/sheets
epithelial cancer, vascular tumours
2 key signalling molecules of individual cell migration
integrins (receptors regulating adhesion), proteases (digest basement membranes)
4 key signalling molecules of collective cell migration
integrins, proteases, cadherins (induce differentiation), gap junctions (collective signalling)
what cells direct invasion
tip cells
4 examples of morphological events which tumour cell metastasis mimics
2D sheets, branching morphogenesis (mammary gland), vascular sprouting, border cells (ovary)
features of tumour cell migration when empty space
invididual cells loosely packed, which when detect empty space migrate much faster than normal cells but in random directions and upon meeting other cells do not stop
with metastasising tumour cells, what genes are upregulated
cytoskeleton regulation, motility machinery
4 stimuli for cell movement
organogenesis and morphogenesis, wounding, growth factors / chemoattractants, de-differentiation (tumours)
in response to movement stimuli, what shape do cells change to
from round cells to cells with leading front and lagging back, becoming polarised (including organelle polarisation) in direction of motility
property that stops cells migrating
contact-inhibition motility by neighbour cells
what do cells have in order to move in response to stimuli
specialised structures (focal adhesion, lamellae, filopodium)
what 2 ECM proteins ensure cell remains attached to substratum
focal adhesions, filamentous actin
how does filamentous actin allow movement of cells
forms a hook on substratum, to provide traction forces for cell to move
2 features of integrin receptor
dimers of a and B subunits, with a very short tail
what forms on IC integrin receptor, and 2 functions
plaque of cytoskeletal proteins, allowing formation of signalling port and to connect with cytoskeleton