Cell Signalling, the Cell Cycle + Cancer Flashcards
When do cells divide?
in response to specific molecular signals (typically from growth factors)
receive signals from other molecules
What do cells divide to produce in mitosis?
2 identical daughter cells
Why do cells stop dividing?
to specialize in structure and function (aka differentiation)
What is differentiation?
a process that produces specialized cells (function and structure)
T or F: once differentiated, all cells stop dividing
false! some continue to divide under certain conditions
Describe apoptosis
programmed cell death - a process that eliminates unnecessary cells during development and removes unhealthy/damaged cells in mature organisms
How must the processes (divide, differentiate, death) occur in relation to one another to ensure a healthy organism?
balanced
What is a result of an unbalanced cell cycle?
an organism may end up with too few or too many cells which can cause problems of varying severity (ex. hair loss vs. growth of warts into tumours)
Describe the eukaryotic cell cycle
a sequence of events that culminate in cell division
What are the cell cycle events regulated by?
various checkpoint proteins
What do checkpoint proteins do?
stimulate or inhibit cell division until conditions are right to proceed to the next phase of the cell cycle
What generally happens to a cell when it specializes?
it stops dividing and ‘exits’ the cell cycle
Describe cancer
uncontrolled division of cells that results from an improperly regulated cell cycle
What is the primary defence against cancer for multicellular organisms?
the detection of DNA damage (mutations) before division (cell cycle regulation)
How do most cancers exist?
because the cells have mutations in genes required for DNA damage detection and arrest of the cell cycle
How many primary cell cycle checkpoints are there in eukaryotes?
3
What are the 3 primary cell cycle checkpoints in eukaryotes?
G1
G2
M
Describe the G1 checkpoint (what is it and when does it occur)
Aka the restriction checkpoint
occurs at the end of G1
checks whether cells are given permission to enter S phase (checks for mutations or whether the environment is favourable)
When does the G1 checkpoint occur?
at the end of G1 before cells enter S phase
What things might prevent a cell from passing the G1 checkpoint and entering S phase?
if it does not contain permissive instructions to do so
if it has mutations
if the environment is not favourable
What happens to a cell if it does not pass the G1 checkpoint?
It will not enter S phase and instead will enter G0 phase
T or F: many cells stay in G0 their entire lives
true (ex. neurons and muscle cells)
Describe the G2 checkpoint
occurs throughout the S phase or at the end of G2 phase
detects damage or errors in DNA as replication occurs
stops the cell cycle to repair damage before cell enters M phase
When does the G2 checkpoint occur?
during S phase and at the end of G2 phase before mitosis
What is the purpose of the G2 checkpoint?
to detect damage or errors in DNA while replication is occurring and to stop the cell cycle for repairs to the DNA and/or trigger apoptosis if the damage is too severe
Describe the M checkpoing
Aka spindle checkpoint
occurs in metaphase, before anaphase and the separation of chromosomes to make sure each centromere is properly attached to a spindle microtubule
prevents large scale mutations resulting in aneuploidy
When does the M checkpoint occur?
At metaphase of the M phase before anaphase pulls apart chromosomes
What is the purpose of the M checkpoint?
to make sure each centromere is properly attached to a spindle fibre so that each cell ends up with the correct number of chromosomes when they divide
prevents aneuploidy
What organism was used in this experiment?
budding yeast (S. cerevisiae)
Why is budding yeast used in this experiment?
because it is a single celled haploid organism which reproduces asexually by mitosis but cytokinesis is not linked to nuclear division so the cells do not divide symmetrically
= cell cycle arrest can be monitored visually with a microscope by observing morphology of the cells
It can reproduce sexually when both alpha and a cells are allowed to fuse to produce the diploid cell and can divide by meiosis
How does budding yeast divide by mitosis?
asymmetrically
the mother cells form small buds at S phase which produce smaller daughter cells
What 4 components does every cell signalling pathway share?
extracellular ligand
cell-surface receptors for the ligand
intracellular enzymes that send the signal when the ligand binds
cellular response (A change in cellular behaviour or metabolism)
What is signal transduction?
the response of cells to signal ligands in their environment
T or F: yeast only undergo asexual reproduction
false, they do sexual reproduction too
What are the 2 different mating types of S. cerevisiae?
a cells and alpha cells
When will yeast reproduce asexually?
in the absence of EITHER a cells OR alpha cells
they only require one
When will yeast reproduce sexually?
if both a cells and alpha cells are present
they will fuse into a diploid cell for meiosis
what does sexual mating of yeast cells require of the cell cycle? How do yeast cells make this happen?
the cell cycle must be stopped in order for the alpha and a cells to fuse and form a diploid cell
alpha cells release alpha-factor signal ligands to arrest the cell cycle before DNA synthesis (S phase)
How do alpha factors work?
alpha cells constantly release this signal ligand (small peptide) that binds to the alpha-factor receptors on the yeast cell surfaces which triggers the arrest of the cell cycle before DNA synthesis (S phase)
they also trigger the transcription of genes required for cell fusion
What kind of cell surface receptor are alpha-factor receptors?
G-protein couple receptors (GPCR)