Genetic predisposition to cancer Flashcards
What do most cancers arise from
Genetic mutations either sporadic or inherited
What kind of cancer mutation is non inheritable
somatic
What causes germ-line mutations
Hereditary -present in egg or sperm of parents
What are tumours
clonal expansions
What are the three genetic processes associated with cancer syndromes
Oncogenes
Tumour suppressor genes
DNA damage-response genes
What are oncogenes
Mutated proto-oncogens that accelerate cell division
How many mutations are needed to active oncogenes
1
What is the role tumour suppressor genes
Inhibit cell growth
promote apoptosis
Cells breaks
When does cancer arrive with tumour suppressor genes
when both tumour suppressor genes fail
Where does the two hit in tumour suppressor genes occur resulting from carrier to cancer
first - germ line (carrier)
second - tumour formation
What do DNA damage-response genes do
The repair mechanics for DNA
When does cancer arrive from DNA damage-response genes
both genes fail, speeding the accumulation of mutations in other critical genes
Give an example of a DNA damage response gene MMR
failure to mismatch due to single base mismatches or short insertions and deletions leads to accumulation of nucleotide repeats - Microsatellite instability
What is the evidence that DNA damage response genes aren’t working
Microsatellite instability
What is de novo mutations
mutations occurring in there germ line of parents with no family history of hereditary cancer