• Do cancer cells do anything (have behaviors) that normal cells cannot ever do?
• Do cancer cells have molecular features that normal cells never have?
• What are the key differences between cancer cells and normal ce
...
• Do cancer cells do anything (have behaviors) that normal cells cannot ever do?
• Do cancer cells have molecular features that normal cells never have?
• What are the key differences between cancer cells and normal cells?
What causes cancer?
• What’s a mutation?
o Permanent change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA of a gene that can be
passed on to daughter cells with cell division.
o Can change form and/or function, change structures of proteins, change functions of cell pathways and behaviors, and can change the amount of RNA or protein made.
• Name some ways of causing a mutation:
o Duplication (gene amplification), deletion, single nucleotide substitution,
translocation, inversion of a nucleotide sequence, insertion of a new sequence (viral)
Mutation types
• What are driver genes?
o Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes
o either control proliferation (oncogenes) or genes that “fix” mutations and control ability to divide
o Oncogenes
▪ PUSH CELL DIVISION IN SOME WAY, the first hallmark between ALL cancers are UNCONTROLLED CELL PROLIFERATION
▪ mutated form of proto-oncogene, which control signals to cells to divide, they “push” growth
▪ Don’t need signal from a growth factor “gain of function”
▪ genes that drive cell division are always “on” or gain function
▪ Only takes a mutation in 1 of 2 alleles for the adherent function to occur, dominant mutation
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