MA+Cancer+HW

Wiki Assignment on Cancer (Answers in Book--Chapter 19)

Define: apoptosis: programmed cell death telomeres: special repetitive dna sequence metastisis: when tumor cells spread and make new tumors tumor: when cells clump together and make layers on top of one another proto-oncogenes: code for proteins that promote the cell cycle and prevent apoptosis oncogenes: when proto-oncogenes mutate they become cancer causing genes growth factor: a signal that activates a cell signaling pathway resulting in cell division tumor suppressor gene: code for proteins that inhibit the cell cycle and promote apoptosis(inhibits acceleration) oncology: the study of cancer(an oncologist is a doctor that specializes in cancer) carcinoma: cancers of epithelial cells sarcoma: cancers in muscle and connective tssue leukemia: cancer of the blood lymphoma: cancers of lymphatic tissue

1. What do cancer cells look like?
 * they lack differences

2. What is unusual about the nuclei of cancer cells?
 * they are enlarged and have an abnormal number of chromosomes

3. Why don't cancer cells die? 4. Describe the three phases of the development of cancer.
 * because they don't go through apoptosis and proto-oncogenes sends signals to those cells that prevents them from self destructing
 * 1) initiation: a cell undergoes a mutation that makes it divide rapidly
 * 2) promotion: a tumor results and cells on the tumor continue to divide and undergo more mutations
 * 3) progression: one cell has a mutation in which they have the ability to go to other tissues and begin dividing

5. Mutations in what two types of genes lead to uncontrollable growth? 6. What is p53? How does it cause cancer? 7. What is RB? How does it cause cancer? 8. What are the most common cancers cases for males and females? 9. What are the most common cancer deaths for males and females?
 * proto-oncogenes and oncogenes
 * p53 is a protein that turns on genes that stop the cell cycle and activates repair enzymes. It premotes apoptosis.
 * RB turns on the gene for cyclin D and other genes whose productes promote entry into the S phase of the cell cycle.
 * male: prostrate
 * female: breast
 * male: lungs and bronchus
 * female: lungs and bronchus