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Genes and Cancer

Genes and Cancer. What is cancer?. Uncontrolled cell growth Ability to spread to other parts of the body Generally a disease of aging Tumors are named according to the tissue from which they form Benign (do not spread) Malignant (can metastasize). Is cancer genetic?.

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Genes and Cancer

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  1. Genes and Cancer

  2. What is cancer? • Uncontrolled cell growth • Ability to spread to other parts of the body • Generally a disease of aging • Tumors are named according to the tissue from which they form • Benign (do not spread) • Malignant (can metastasize)

  3. Is cancer genetic? • “Predisposition” can be inherited • Most mutagens are carcinogens • Cancer genes can be spread by viruses • Some cancers are know to be cause by chromosome abnormalities • Most cancers are sporadic (not inherited) • Cancers are caused by damage to DNA (mutation)

  4. Metastasis Trialx.com Nature.com

  5. First mutation Second mutation

  6. The cell cycle and regulation • Cell division usually closely regulated • Checkpoints control transition through stages • Tumor suppressor genes • Proto-oncogenes • Triggered by signal transduction • Loss of control leads to tumor formation

  7. Model of cell activation Bio.miami.com

  8. Mutations in regulatory genes implicated in cancer • RB1- tumor suppressor , controls progression from G1 to S • Ras proto-oncogenes: mutants are always switched on

  9. Nature.com Ras proteins mutated at Aa 12 or 61 Wormbook.org

  10. Genomic stability and hereditary cancer • BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 (breast, ovary prostate) • more information • p53: whether cell is repaired or undergoes apoptosis • Abl- proto-oncogene, white blood cells • Some genes are widely distribute; some restricted to specific tissues

  11. Multistep model for colon cancer APC K-ras DCC p53 p53 implicated in about half of all cancers

  12. Li- Fraumeni syndrome: a mutation in p53

  13. Inheritance of von Hippel-Lindau syndrome

  14. Chromosomal translocations- hereditary cancer Found in several leukemias And lymphomas Burkitt’s lymphoma www.nobelprize.org

  15. What causes cancer? • Minority of cancers are inherited • Environmental factors • Carcinogens • Viruses • Diet • Etc.

  16. How do we study causes of cancer? • Population studies • Case-control studies • Prospective studies

  17. Treatment strategiesExample: breast cancer strategy example Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy Target estrogen receptor if present Depends on presence of cancer-specific gene Microarrays make rapid diagnosis possible • Removal • Match phenotype to treatment • Use genotype to select drug

  18. Summary • Cancer is caused by genetic mutation, but is usually not inherited • Tumor cells divide uncontrollably • Tumors can arise in a variety of cells • Proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and DNA repair genes are implicated in cancer • Cancers can arise from two or more mutations

  19. Population studies in conjunction with biochemical and genetic studies can help explain causes of cancer • Molecular and genomic studies are used to develop treatments that are specific to the type of tumor.

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