Neoplasia 2 Flashcards
what are some important genes in carcinogenesis
- oncogenes
- tumour suppressor genes
- dna repair genes
- miRNAs
- chromosomal aberrations
- epigenetic mutations
what are oncogenes also known as
accelerators
what are accelerators of carcinogenesis
oncogenes
what are brakers of carcinogenesis
tumour suppressor genes
what can oncogenes be abnormal variants of
- growth factors
- growth factor receptors
- signal transducers
- control of gene expression
what are proto oncogenes
normal genes which regulate cell division
what do oncogenes produce
oncoproteins
which type of tissue is more sensitive to radiation
those where the cells are rapidly renewed
how do miRNA act as carcinogens
they have a controlling function over the rest of the genes
thousands are the target for drug development to control the development of carcinogenesis
what are epigenetic mutations
changes to dna that regulate whether genes are switched on or off
caused by behaviour and environment
do not change dna sequence
reversible
what is the most important carcinogen group
oncogenes
what is the normal version of oncogenes called
proto oncogenes
what forms can proto oncogenes come in
- growth factors
- growth factor receptors
- signal transducers
- control of gene expression
what is the important function for proto oncogenes
regulation of cell division
what happens if tight regulation of cell division is lost
increase in growth factor production and acting on specific cells which will divide and grow at a fast rate
often occurs if the gene is mutated
what is the activity of oncogenes held in check by
tumour suppressor proteins
what are the three mechanisms by which tight regulation of cell division is lost
- mutation
- excess normal product
- enhanced transcription
what does a mutation of oncogenes lead to
increased activity of the product
what can cause an excess production of normal product
- duplication of the gene
- viral product
what can cause enhanced transcription of the normal product
translocation
chromosome rearrangement
describe chronic myeloid leukaemia
- translocation can cause formation of a hybrid gene
- hybrid genes are nicknamed the philadelphia chromosome for this condition
- production of tyrosine kinase which is a growth factor that stimulates lots of pathways
what is burketts lymphoma associated with
epstein barr virus
what is the function of tumour suppressor genes
act to inhibit cell division and suppress growth
act as anti oncogenes
requires loss of both alleles
what is the knudson two hit hypothesis
idea that most tumour suppressor genes require both alleles to be inactivated, either through mutations or epigenetic silencing to cause a phenotypic change
describe the retinoblastoma gene and how it links to the knudson two hit hypothesis
person inherits defective gene from parents and passes this to children who has both genes mutated to form a malignancy
describe the function of TP53
- acts just before the restriction point
- two main functions in response to damaged DNA which are to stop the cell cycle and allow dna repair
- trigger apoptosis if repair is not possible
- often inactivated in cancer through mutation or deletion or due to viral proteins
in how many cases of head and neck cancer are there mutations in the tp53 gene
50%
what is included in genetic susceptibility to cancer
- inherited cancer syndromes
- familial cancer
- defective dna repair
describe inherited cancer syndromes
- single mutated genes that are often tumour suppressors
- retinoblastoma and some colon cancers
what is an example of an inherited cancer
retinoblastoma
what is an example of familial cancer
breast ovary and colon
describe the cause of familial cancer
family clusters, genes and pattern of inheritance are not clear
describe defective dna repair
increased sensivity to carcinogens and general increased cancer risk if a person inherits a defective dna repair system