Cell Replication Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What is the cell cycle?

A

An orderly sequence of events in which the cell duplicates its contents and divides in two

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What stages of the cell cycle make up interphase?

A

G1 + S + G2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What factors do different rates of mitosis depend on?

A
  1. How complex the system is
  2. The need for renewal
  3. Age
  4. Tumour = out of sync replication
  5. State of differentiation as some cells never divide
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Which cells never divide?

A

Neurons and cardiac myocytes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does pre-mature, abnormal mitosis result in?

A

Cell death

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Why is mitosis the most vulnerable period of the cell cycle?

A

DNA damage cannot be repaired, gene transcription is silenced, cell metabolism is low, cells are killed more easily

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is G0?

A

The quiescent phase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What state are the cells in when they are in G0?

A

The cells are not dormant, but non-dividing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does the centrosome consist of?

A

Two centrioles at 90 degrees to one another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a centriole?

A

Barrels of 9 triplet microtubules which form the mitotic spindle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Where do the microtubules grow from on the centrosome?

A

Microtubules grow from the nucleating site on the centrosome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Microtubules are polymers of what?

A

Alpha and beta tubulin dimers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is a kinetochore?

A

Protein complexes that assemble at the centromere of a chromosome and function to connect the chromosome to the microtubules during anaphase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

In what phase of mitosis does the spindle attach to the kinetochore?

A

During metaphase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What happens to the microtubules during anaphase?

A

They get shorter as they pull chromosomes apart

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

In which phase d the spindle microtubules start to form?

A

Prophase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What occurs in the G1 phase of the cell cycle?

A

The cell makes mRNA and proteins in preparation for the next steps

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is aneuploidy?

A

An abnormal number of chromosomes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is meant by syntelic attachment of the spindle?

A

When both kinetochores attach to spindle from one spindle pole, so the whole chromosome is pulled to one pole

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is meant by merotelic attachment?

A

When spindle from two poles attach to one kinetochore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What occurs during the S phase?

A

The synthesis phase - organelle replication and protein synthesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What happens during the G2 phase?

A

Period of rapid cell growth in preparation for mitosis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What happens to cohesin during anaphase?

A

Cohesin breaks down

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What occurs during the telophase?

A

The daughter chromosomes arrive at the spindle and nuclear envelopes reassemble at each pore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What happens to chromatin during the prophase?

A

Chromatin condenses

26
Q

What is the function of a MTOC?

A

Microtubule Organising Center - forms the spindle fibers

27
Q

How do we get cell growth? (Leaving G0 to G1)

A

Growth factors bind to tyrosine kinase receptors, which triggers an intracellular signalling pathway which ultimately leads to protein synthesis increasing and protein degradation decreasing, stimulating cell growth

28
Q

What type of molecule is c-Myc?

A

A transcription factor

29
Q

What does c-Myc promote?

A

G0 to G1 transition

30
Q

Which oncogene is over expressed in many tumours?

A

c-Myc

31
Q

what two things can occur if something goes wrong with cel replication?

A
  1. Cell cycle arrest - can be temporary while damage is being fixed
  2. Programmed cell death = apoptosis
32
Q

What happens to the cell when the DNA damage is too great and cannot be repaired?

A

Programmed cell death = apoptosis

33
Q

In the absence of a stimuli to progress into the next stage of replication, what happens to the cell?

A

Cells go into G0 phase (quiscent phase)

34
Q

What does the exit from G0 phase require?

A

Growth factors and intracellular signalling cascades

35
Q

What forms when cyclins bind to cyclin dependant kinases?

A

They form an activated cyclin-CDK complex

36
Q

What do cyclin dependant kinases have to bind to in order to be activated?

A

Cyclins

37
Q

Which Cdk’s and cyclins mediate the transition from G1 to S phase?

A

Cdk2-Cyclin E complex

38
Q

Which Cdk’s and cyclins mediate the transition from S to G2 phase?

A

Cdk2-Cyclin A

39
Q

How are cyclins expressed through the cell cycle?

A

expressed transiently

40
Q

How are cyclins switched off during the cell cycle?

A

They are made inactive by ubiquitination - this is where tags are added to destroy the cyclin

41
Q

Describe how Cyclin E helps the cell move from G1 to S phase

A

Cyclin E -> Binds to Cdk2 -> a lot of complexes are formed -> This leads to the phosphorylation of Rb -> Means Rb releases E2F transcription factor, so cell can continue to proliferate

42
Q

How does retinoblastoma protein work?

A

It holds an inactive E2F transcription factor and only releases it when Rb is phosphorylated

43
Q

What phosphorylates Rb?

A

Activated cdk-cyclin complexes

44
Q

Describe how p53 works as a tumour suppressor?

A
  1. p53 recognises damage to DNA
  2. p53 phosphorylated = activated
  3. Active p53 binds to p21 gene
  4. Makes p21 protein
  5. p21 is a cdk inhibitor so no cdk complexes can form to phosphorlyate Rb so no progression into next phase
45
Q

What does p21 do?

A

it inactivates Cdk-cyclin complexes meaning they cannot go and phosphorylate Rb

46
Q

When does Cdk activity peak?

A

During mitosis

47
Q

Why are cyclins given their name?

A

They are produce and then degraded throughout the cell cycle

48
Q

What does c-Myc induce the expression of?

A

Cyclin D

49
Q

Why is cyclin D so important?

A

entry to the cell cycle requires Cyclin D

50
Q

what two checkpoints can occur in the G1 phase?

A

Checks for damaged DNA and unfavourable extracellular environments

51
Q

What checkpoints can occur in the S phase?

A

Damaged or incompletely replicated DNA is search for

52
Q

What can induce a checkpoint in mitosis phase?

A

Chromosome improperly attached to the mitotic spindle

53
Q

What do protein kinase cascades lead to?

A

Signal amplification, diversification and an opportunity for regulation

54
Q

Why are protein kinases useful for cell cycles?

A

Since the protein kinases can be turned on and off, it is very helpful in regulating the progression through the cell cycle

55
Q

What actually activates Cdks?

A

After cyclin has bound, the Cdk complex has to be sequentially phosphorylated with inhibitory and activating phosphates. Once the inhibitory phosphate has been removed by protein kinases, the complex is active

56
Q

What removes inhibitory phosphates from the Cdk complexes in order to make it inactive?

A

Phosphatase

57
Q

How does positive feedback in the Cdk-cyclin system work?

A

The active Cdk complexes then activate more phosphatases so the inhibitory phosphates can be removed from the inactive complexes, leading to more activation of complexes

58
Q

During ubiquitination, what do cyclins get degraded into?

A

Amino acids

59
Q

How might over expression of c-Myc lead to aberrant cell cycling and cancer?

A

Inappropriate entry into G1 – S phase

60
Q

How are Cdks rendered active to allow progression to the next phase of the cell cycle?

A
  1. Binding of cyclins
  2. Phosphorylation
  3. Dephosphorylation
61
Q

How are active Cdk-cyclin complexes rendered inactive to allow orderly progression to the next phase of the cell cycle?

A

Degradation of cyclins

62
Q

How can p53 rapidly respond to DNA damage?

A

p53 protein is continuously made and degraded