The cell cycle Flashcards
what happens in prometaphase?
βnuclear envelope breaks down and chromosome attaches to the spindle
what happens in metaphase?
βthe centrosomes are at opposite poles of the cells and the chromosomes are at their most condensed form.
what are the daughter and mother centrioles bound by?
βcohesin ring
What are the three trisomies?
βTrisomy 21 (downs)
βtrisomy 18 (edwards)
βtrisomy 13 (patau)
what is non disjunction?
βthe failure of homologous chromosomes to separate from one another
what are the three requirements for the cell cycle?
1) each phase occurs once
2) phases must be in the right order
3) phases must be non overlapping
What are the 3 checkpoints in the cell cycle and what are they for?
G1 CHECKPOINT (end of G1 before S phase)
βcheck DNA damage so no mutated or damaged cells replicate
βcheck the extracellular environment
β check for room and nutrients for growth
G2 CHECKPOINT (end of G2, before M phase)
βchecks for DNA damage
β checks if DNA is replicated properly
METAPHASE CHECKPOINT (during metaphase) β checks if all chromosomes are aligned on the mitotic spindle
what are CDKs
βenzymes that phosphorylates target proteins
what do kinases do?
βphosphorylate proteins and activate them
what is an example of an important kinase?
βtyrosine kinase
explain how E2F gets released?
βmitogens lead to the expression of cyclin D which associates with CDK4 and creates a complex
β the complex binds to pRB this causes a conformational change in the shape of pRB which releases E2F
βE2F is free to bind to the DNA sequence which stimulates proliferation. (cylin E and cyclin A)
what is pRB coded by?
tumor suppressor gene
how does the G1 checkpoint mechanism occur?
β if there is a mistake in the DNA
β p53 gene activated which gets phosphorylated
β (which enables it to stay active instead of getting degraded)
β then promotes transcription of genes that induce arrest of the cell cycle.
β It stimulates the expression of p21 which binds and inhibits G1-S complexes.
what happens if DNA cannot be repaired
βapoptosis
βphosphatidylserine gets expressed in the upper leaflet of the cell membrane which stimulates macrophages.
what are double strand breaks caused by?
ionizing radiation, knocks electrons off the backbone.
What happens if both copies of pRB are lost?
βthe pRB cannot bind to E2F and E2F is free to bind to sequences in DNA which code for proliferation.
How do viral oncogenes work?
βThey act as competitive inhibitors and bind to pRB so it does not bind to the E2F
βE2F is free for cell proliferation
what is an example of a viral oncogene
HPV virus
how does the CDK work in prokaryotes?
there is only one CDK
How is the cell cycle useful in uni- and multicellular organisms?
βUNICELLULAR
each cell cycle gives rise to 2 new organisms
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS:
β a single-celled zygote must undergo many rounds of the cell cycle to make a new fully grown organism
βthe organism must also constantly replace any cells that die during the lifetime of that organism
What are the 3 different situations with cell cycle re-entry?
βcell cycle re-entry in NOT possible (eg. nerve cells)
βcells are maintained in G0 until stimulated to divide (eg. hepatocytes)
βcells are constantly in the cell cycle (eg. epithelial cells of the gut, haematopoietic cells in bone marrow)
What are the different phases of the cell cycle in eukaryotes?
βGAP PHASE 1 (G1): growth and preparation for S phase
βSYNTHESIS PHASE (S): chromosome duplication
βGAP PHASE 2 (G2): growth and preparation for M phase (these three phases are all under Interphase)
β MITOTIC PHASE (M): mitosis + cytokinesis
Describe the M Phase in detail
PROPHASE:
β Chromosomes condense
β Centrosomes move to opposite poles
β Mitotic spindle forms
PROMETAPHASE:
βBreakdown of nuclear envelope
β Chromosomes attach to mitotic spindle
METAPHASE:
β Centrosome are at opposite poles
βChromosomes are at their most condensed & line up at the equator of the mitotic spindle
ANAPHASE:
βSister chromatids separate synchronously
βEach new daughter chromosome moving to the opposite spindle pole
TELOPHASE:
βChromosome arrives at the spindle poles
βChromosomes de-condense
βNuclear envelope reforms
CYTOKINESIS:
βCytoplasm divides
Describe the mitotic spindle, and how it works
β bipolar array of microtubules.
β starts to assemble during prophase from the centrosomes at each pole.
β attaches to the chromosomes via the kinetochore.
β pulls apart the sister chromatids.