Lecture 3 & 4 Flashcards
Which genes can mutations occur in?
- Oncogenes - eg., protooncogenes
- Tumour suppressors - eg., p53
- DNA repair
What were the original “Hallmarks of cancer” by Hanahan and Weinberg?
- self-sufficiency in growth signals
- insensitivity to antigrowth signals
- evades apoptosis
- limitless reproductive potential
- sustained angiogenesis
- tissue invasion and metastases
What were the revised Hallmarks of Cancer?
- avoiding immune destruction
- tumour promoting inflammation (lack of resolution)
- genome instability and mutation
- deregulation of cellular energetics
What induces growth signals in a cell?
Various growth factors, a change in the metabolism that allows the cell to perform DNA synthesis or an increase in glucose/mitochondrial activity
What are the four mechanisms in DNA synthesis?
- Signalling molecules: cytokines and growth factors (IL-3 or EGF)
- Signal receptors and intracellular receptors: cytokine receptor/ tyrosine kinases/ intracellular receptors
- Intracellular transducers
- Transcription factors and cell cycle regulators
What are the five different components in a cell that tells it to enter cell cycle or enter a quiescent state?
- growth factor receptors
- monitors of genome integrity
- TGF-beta receptors
- integrins
- monitors of cell metabolism
What are the three stages a cell can enter when planning to divide?
- G0 (G not) or quiescent state
- active cell cycle which leads to G1 -> S -> G2 -> M
- programming of cell cycle phases then into any of the four phases
What is one example of monitoring genome integrity?
The length of telomeres is important. A short telomere indicates the age of the cell and is not stable genomically.
How do integrins play a role in the cell cycle?
They will recognize if there are cells beside it (contact inhibition) and prevent the cell from entering G1.
What is the quiescent stage?
G0 (G zero) stage where a cell is neither dividing nor preparing to divide.
What is the G1 entry controlled by?
Cyclin D1
How can the control of cyclin D1 be partially explained by the effects of mitogens?
They modulate the transcription of the cyclin D1 gene. Different mitogens diverge at D1.
What is a mitogen?
A chemical substance that encourages a cell to commence cell division, triggering mitosis, usually a protein.
How do cytokines effect D1 levels?
A cytokine binds to a cytokine receptor which activates Jak, which activates STAT, thus resulting in the activation of cyclin D1.
How do growth factors effect D1 levels?
A growth factor binds to a tyrosine kinase receptor (RTKs) -> Grb2 -> Sos -> Ras -> Raf -> Erk -> p90Rsk -> Elk-1/SRF -> Fos -> AP-1 -> D1