chapter 9: molecular biology of cancer Flashcards

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1
Q

when does cancer develop?

A
  • normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them
  • when cells grow old or become damaged, they die and new cells take their place
  • cancer develops when a single cell in a tissue undergo transformation, whereby there is mutation in the gene which regulate the cell cycle
  • the body’s immune system normally recognises a transformed cell and destroys it
  • however if the cell evades destruction by the immune system, it may pass on the mutations to its daughter cells
  • old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed
  • these cells can divide uncontrollably via mitosis and may form growths/lumps of tissues called tumours
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2
Q

what are the types of tumours?

A
  • when the tumour is localised in one tissue, it is known as a benign tumour
  • however, when these abnormal cells break away from the tumour and are carried in the blood or lymph to other parts of the body,
  • secondary malignant tumours are formed
  • an individual with malignant tumours is said to have cancer
  • the spread of cancerous cells to other parts of the body is known as metastasis
  • ## if not treated, the tumour can cause problems by invading normal tissues nearby or by causing pressure on other body structures
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3
Q

how are cancer cells different from normal cells?

A

cancer cells DO NOT:
- heed the normal signals that regulate the cell cycle
- stop dividing even when growth factors are depleted
- exhibit anchorage dependence (the cancer cells do not need a surface to grow)
- exhibit density-dependent inhibition
( normal cells stop dividing when they come into contact with each other in a crowded environment. cancer cells grow freely over one another and over normal cells)

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4
Q

how does the dysregulation of cell cycle result in cancer?

A
  • in normal tissues, cell growth and division are regulated by checkpoints in the cell cycle
  • these regulations involve many regulatory proteins which are encoded by regulatory genes
  • proto-oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes are two groups of genes involved in regulation of the cell cycle
  • proto-oncogenes codes for proteins that stimulates cell division
  • tumour suppressor genes suppresses the growth of tumour by inhibiting cell division
  • when these genes are mutated, dysregulation of the cell cycle occurs, leading to uncontrolled cell division, which results in cancer
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5
Q

what are proto-oncogenes?

A
  • proto-oncogenes encode proteins that stimulate normal cell division

these proteins have essential functions in normal cells, such as:
- growth factors
- growth factor receptors
- transcription factors that promote expression of genes that stimulate cell diviion
- components of signal transduction
-

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6
Q

what happens when the proto-oncogene is converted to a oncogene

A

if a proto-oncogene undergoes a mutation, such that:
- a hyperactive protein is produced or a degradation resistant protein is produced or
- the normal form of the protein is produced in excessive amounts,
- the mutated proto-oncogene is known as oncogene
- oncogenes result in uncontrolled cell division

  • conversion of proto-oncogene to oncogene is a gain-of-function mutation because cell division is stimulated excessively
  • a gain-of-function mutation is a dominant mutation
  • this is because in a gain-of-function mutation, mutation of only one allele of the proto-oncogene can trigger uncontrolled division
  • the one mutated allele will musk the effect of the other normal allele
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7
Q

describe the mechanisms that converts the proto-oncogenes to oncogenes:
genetic change:** translocation of gene from one chromosome to another**

A
  • the proto-oncogene may be moved from its normal locus on one chromosome to another locus on another chromosome
  • at the new location, the gene may be under the control of an especially active promotor and other control elements
  • this leads to an upregulated gene expression
  • the rate of transcription of gene increased (more mRNA), and hence the mRNA is translated more often than normal
  • normal protein produced in excessive amounts
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8
Q

describe the mechanisms that converts the proto-oncogenes to oncogenes:
genetic change: gene amplification

A
  • gene amplification processes ( such as unequal crossing-over) may generate multiple copies of the proto-oncogene
  • all the copies of the genes are transcribed and translated
  • normal protein produced in excessive amounts
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9
Q

describe the mechanisms that converts the proto-oncogenes to oncogenes:
mutation: mutation within a control element

A
  • a mutation can occur in either the promoter or an enhancer that controls the transcription of the proto-oncogene
  • the gene is transcribed and translated more often than normal (increased rate of transcription)
  • normal protein is produced in excessive amounts
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10
Q

describe the mechanisms that converts the proto-oncogenes to oncogenes:
mutation: within the coding region of proto-oncogene

A
  • a gene mutation in the coding region of the proto-oncogene

there is a change in amino acid sequence of the protein leading to
- amino acids encoded has different R-group properties
- alters R-group interactions
- alters folding of polypeptide chain
- changes tertiary structure of the protein

formation of a hyperactive protein which is
- active all the time and
- resistant to degradation

this hyperactive protein will stimulate cell division even in the absence of stimulatory signals

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11
Q

what is an example of proto-oncogenes?
(not including how it leads to cancer)

A
  • ras gene
  • the product of a ras gene is a G protein involved in signal transduction
  • it relays a growth signal from a growth factor receptor to a cascade of protein kinases ( phosphorylation cascade)
  • and ultimatel results in the sysnthesis of a protein that stimulates the cell cycle
  • the nomal ras protein si only activted when a growth factor binds to the growth factor receptor in a signal transduction pathway
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11
Q

how does the ras oncogenes lead to cancer?

A

**point mutation in the coding sequence of Ras gene
**
- this mutation results in the substitution of an amino acid with a different R-group property
- this would result in a chane in R-group interactions
- which would then change the folding of the polypeptide chain
- this changes the tertiary structure of the ras protein

  • this results in a hyperactive form of the protein
  • like the ras protein that is always active
  • mutant ras protein can trigger the phosphorylation cascade
  • resulting in the synthesis of proteins that stimulate the cell cycle
  • this leads to excessive cell division even in the absence of growth factor (ligand) binding to the receptor
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12
Q

what is another example of proto-oncogenes?
(case study of Burkitt’s lymphoma)

A
  • the product of the c-myc gene is a specific transcription factor, an activator which binds to enhancer to regulate the transcription of many genes
  • including genes coding for proteins involved in normal cell division
  • c-myc gene is converted to an oncogene by chromosomal translocation ( a type of chromosomal abberation)
  • resulting of a solid tumour of B lymphocytes
  • B-lymphocytes are a type of white blood cells that make antibodies
  • they are part of the immune system and develop from blood stem cells in bone marrow
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13
Q

how does the c-myc lead to cancer?

A
  • the proto-onconegene, c-myc gene, is moved from its normal locus on chromosome 8 to another locus on chromosome 14
  • at the new locus, the c-myc gene is under the control of a very active enhancer
  • that normally controls the transcription of highly transcriptional active antibody genes
  • the c-myc gene is transcribed and the c-myc mRNA is translated more often than normal
  • excessive amounts of c-myc proteins produced
  • the overall effect is the uncontrolled cell division of B lymphocytes, forming a tumour
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14
Q

what are tumour suppressor genes? and what happens when they are mutated?

A

tumour suppressor genes code for proteins that:
- inhibit normal cell division by preventing the stimulating activity of cellular proto-oncogenes or oncogenes
- activate expression of DNA repairing genes to produce DNA repair enzymes
- activate apoptosis (programmed cell death)

  • mutation of tumour suppressor gene leads to inactivation of the gene which is a loss-of-function mutation
  • because the gene can no longer encode for functional proteins
  • inhibiting cell growth and divison is impaired
  • loss-of-function mutation is considered as a recessive mutation’this is because both alleles of the tumour suppressor gene need to be mutated/ inactivated to cause the loss of function
  • if there is only one mutated allele, the normal allele can still encode sufficient proteins to be effective
  • the effect of the mutation is masked by the normal dominant allele
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15
Q

what is an example of tumour suppressor gene?

A

p53
- p53 encodes for a transcription factor which stimulates transcription of several genes when there is DNA damage

these genes include:
- cell cycle arrest: progression of the cell stop so that there is enough time for the cell to repair its DNA

  • DNA repair: any mutation that may lead to formation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumour-suppressor genes is corrected to prevent the formation of mutant cells
  • initiation of apoptosis: when DNA damage is beyond repair, mutant cells are removed so that the mutation will not be passed on to daughter cells

-

16
Q

what happens when p53 is mutated and cannot activate transcription of genes in response to DNA damage?

A

a loss-of function mutation occurs in p53 usually due to a single nucleotide substitution mutation leading to missence mutation

a defective transcription factor or no transcription factor is produced

outcomes:
- no activation of genes coding for proteins that inhibit the cell cycle

  • damaged DNA is not repaired
  • apoptosis does not occur in damaged cells
  • cells with mutation pass through the cell cycle checkpoints and continue dividing , giving rise to daughter cells with mutations
  • mutations accumulate, leading to increased frequency of oncogenes and mutated tumour suppressor genes
  • uncontrolled cell division occurs, increasing the risk of cancer formation
17
Q

describe the development of cancer as a multi-step process

A
  1. mutation first occurs to a single cell
    - if the cell evades destruction by the immune system
    - the mutation is passed on its daughted cells via mitosis, forming a population of geneticlaly identical abnormal tumour cells
  2. tumour progression continues as additional mutations accumulates within cells of the tumour population. mutations are:
    - proto-oncogenes mutating into oncogenes leading to uncontrolled cell division
  • mutation of genes that signal angiogenesis which results in the formation of new blood vessels to ensure that cancer cells receive a continual supply of oxygen and other nutrients
  • mutation of genes involved in cell-to-cell adhesion, resulting in metastasis
  1. the daughter cells of cell bearing these accumulated mutations are cancerous and consequenctly become dominant within the tumour population
18
Q

what trait does this genetic change cause?
inactivation of genes coding for proteins involved in cell-to-cell adhesion

A
  • it can lead to a loss of anchorage dependence in tumour cells

cancer cells can leave the primary tumour and:
i) invade surrounding tissues (tissue invasion)
ii) enter bloodstream, migrating to other parts of the body, where they divide to form new (secondary) tumour > through the process of metastasis

19
Q

what trait does this genetic change cause?
activation of telomerase gene

A
  • presence of telomerase to elngthen telomeres, telomeres do not shorten to reach critical length
  • these cells avoid cell senescence and apoptosis
  • resulting in limitless replicative potential (uncontrolled cell division)

cell senescence: the state where the cells have to stop dividing because of shortened telomeres

20
Q

how does genetic- heriditary disposition increase the chance of cancerous growth?

A
  • cancer usually develops after a cell accumulates multiple mutations
  • when a person inherits an oncogene or mutant allele of a tumour suppressor gene like (p53)
  • they have a genetic predisposition to cancer
  • this means they need to accumulate fewer additional mutations to develop cancer
  • compared to someone who does not have these inherited mutations
21
Q

environmental factors that cause mutations

chemical mutagens and carcinogen

A

chemical mutagens:
- agents that cause DNA damage and cause mutations
chemical carcinogen:
- agents or substances that are directly involved in causing cancer
- carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco smoke: ultrasamines
- others: formaldehyde, ethium bromide

22
Q

environmental factors that cause mutations

radiation

A
  • ionising radiation: X-rays, gamma-rays
  • ultraviolet radiation: main cause of skin cancer
23
Q

how does the mechanism of mutation of the Ras gene differ from that of Burkitt’s lymphoma?

A

mutation of Ras gene:
- caused by gene mutation: base substitution mutation on one chromosome

mutation of Burkitt’s lymphoma:
- caused by chromosomal translocation mutation which affects two chromosomes (8 and 14)

24
Q

what is the difference in the** effect on the coding sequence** between a mutated Ras gene and Burkitt’s lymphoma?

A

mutation of Ras gene:
- coding sequence of gene is changed

mutation of Burkitt’s lymphoma:
- the coding sequence of gene is not changed by location of gene is changed

25
Q
A

mutation of Ras gene:

mutation of Burkitt’s lymphoma:

26
Q

**NOTE!!!
**
when the ras protein is mutated: the hyperactive ras protein continually stimulates the synthesis of proteins that stimulate the cell cycle even in the absence of growth factors
- ras protein does not directly stimulate the cell cycle

A

inspirational quote time!
hard work beats talent when talent doesnt work hard.