K&C - Biology of Cancer Flashcards
What is the difference between germline and somatic mutations?
Germline are inherited
Somatic are acquired
What are the hallmarks of cancer?
Sustaining proliferative signalling Evading growth suppressors Avoiding immune destruction Enabling replicative immortality Tumour-promoting inflammation Activating invasion and metastasis Inducing angiogenesis Genome instability and mutation Resisting cell death Deregulating cellular energetics
What are examples of a mutation in the control of cell cycle checkpoints?
Cyclin D1
p15
p16
What are examples of a mutation in DNA repair?
FANCA
ATM
What is an example of a mutation in apoptosis?
Bcl2
What are examples of a mutation in differentiation?
PML/RARA
What are examples of a mutation in growth factor receptors?
EGF, VEGF, FGF, BCR/ABL, TGF-B, KIT, L-FLT3
What are examples of a mutation in signalling pathways?
RAS, BRAF, JAK2, NF1, PTCH
What are examples of a mutation in tumour suppressor genes?
p53
Rb
WT1
VHL
What are the two main reasons tumour cells are not recognised and killed by the immune system?
Failure to express molecules such as HLA (human leukocyte antigen) and co-stimulatory B7 molecules that would activate NK cells
Secretion of immunosuppressive cytokines
What is angiogenesis?
New vessel formation
What stimulates angiogenesis?
Inflammatory cells such as basic fibroblast growth facto (bFGF), angiopoiten 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
What is infiltration into surrounding tissues associated with, and what is this mediated by?
Loss of cell cohesion
Active homotypic cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)
What are examples of molecules that cause tumour dissemination (spread)?
Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF)
Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
Chemokines
