BSC 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Tumor Suppressor Gene, Cancer Stem Cell, Methylation

• School: University of Alabama
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BSC 300
• Professor: Yoder

Document Summary

Significant advances in our understanding of the root causes of caner over the past 40 years have yet to pay off with major advances in preventing or treating this disease. Most increase in survivorship has resulted from early detection, rather than broad advances in treatment. Malignancy in cancer is characterized by anaplasia (altered cell morphology, contact and orientation), invasiveness and metastasis: the ability to leave the primary tumor, travel throughout the body and establish secondary tumors. Malignant tumors are characterized by genome instability, frequently having between. Cancer also shows tumor heterogeneity: multiple subclones, each with their own set of genetic mutations. Cancer cells frequently have reduced expression of dna repair enzymes due to epigenetic methylation of dna repair genes of altered expression of micrornas that control dna repair gene expression. At its core, cancer is an evolving, host-born pathogen. Contact inhibition: normal somatic cells when grown in culture arrest when they make contact with other cells (inhibitory growth factors)