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Covenant Bio 346 Chapter 10
Cancer biology
27
Biology
Undergraduate 2
05/17/2012

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Term
tumor suppressor gene
Definition
gene whose loss or inactiviation by deletion or mutation can lead to cancer.
Term
hybrid cell
Definition
cell whose nucleus contains chromosomes derived from two different cells that were joined together by the technique of cell fusion.
Term
RB gene
Definition
tumor suppressor gene coding for the Rb protein.
Term
E2F transcription factor
Definition
protein that, when not bound to the Rb protein, actives the transceiption of genes coding for proteins required for DNA replication and entrance into S phase of the cell cycle.
Term
p53 gene
Definition
tumor suppressor gene that codes for the p53 protein, a transcription factor involved in preventing genetically damaged cells from proliferating; most frequently mutated gene in human cancers; also called the TP53 gene in humans.
Term
ATM kinase
Definition
protein kinase activated by damaged DNA; plays a central role in the DNA damage response by catalyzing the phosphorylation of p53 and several other target proteins.
Term
ubiquitin
Definition
small protein that is linked to other proteins as a way of marking the targeted protein fro degradation by proteasomes.
Term
p21 protein
Definition
Cdk inhibitor that halts progression through the cell cycle by inhibiting serveral different Cdk-cyclins.
Term
Puma (not the large wild cat:))
Definition
protein involved in triggering cell death by apoptosis; expression of the gene encoding for Puma is activated by p53.
Term
E6 oncoprotein
Definition
protein produced by an oncogene present in human papillomavirus (HPV) that binds to a cell's normal p53 protein, therefore targeting it for destruction.
Term
Wnt pathway
Definition
signalling pathway that plays a prominent role in controlling cell proliferation and differentiation during embryonic development; abnormalities in this pathway occur in some cancers.
Term
phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase or PI3K)
Definition
enzyme that catalyzes the addition of a phophate group to the plasma membrane lipid PIP2, thereby converting it into PIP3.
Term
PIP3
Definition
abbreviation for the plasma lipid phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate; component of the PI3K-Akt pathway.
Term
PTEN
Definition
enzyme that removes a phophate group from PIP3, thereby converting it to PIP2; inhibitor of the PI3K-Akt pathway.
Term
TGFbeta-Smad pathway
Definition
signalling pathway in which the binding of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) to its cell surface receptor leads to the phosphorylation of Smad proteins that move into the nucleus and activate the expression of genes that inhibit cell proliferation; two key genes produce the Cdk-inhibiting proteins p15 and p21.
Term
p15 protein
Definition
Cdk inhibitor that halts progession through thte cell cycle by inhibiting several different Cdk-cyclins.
Term
reading frame
Definition
any of the three possible ways of reading a sequence of bases in messemger RNA as a series of triplets, depending on the starting point.
Term
ARF protein
Definition
protein produced by the CDKN2A gene that binds to and promotes the degradation of Mdm2, which is the protein that normally targets the p53 protein for destruction.
Term
caretaker
Definition
class of tumor suppressor genes that are involved in DNA repair or chromosome sorting; loss-of-function mutations in such genes comtribute to genetic instability.
Term
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes
Definition
tumor suppressor genes in which inheritance of a single mutant copy creates a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer; code for proteins involved in repairing double-stranded breaks in DNA.
Term
Rad50 exonuclease complex
Definition
multiprotein complex involved in the first phase of the pathway for repairing double-stranded DNA breaks by homologous recombination; removes nucleotides from one strand of the double helix to expose a single-stranded segment on the opposite strand.
Term
aneuploid
Definition
containing an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Term
spindle checkpoint
Definition
mechanism that halts mitosis at the junction between metaphase and anaphase if chromosomes are not properly attached to the spindle.
Term
anaphase
Definition
stage of mitosis when the chromosomes move toward opposite poles of the mitotic spindle.
Term
Bub proteins
Definition
family of proteins that, along with Mad proteins, trasmit a "wait" signal that inhibits that anaphase-promoting complex from initiatingg chromosome movement before all chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle.
Term
epigenetic change
Definition
alteration in cellular properties brought about by a change in gene expression rather than by gene mutation.
Term
DNA methylation
Definition
addition of methyl groups to nucleotides in DNA; leads to epigenetic silencing of gene transcription when methyl groups are attached to the base C at sites where it is located adjacent to the base G.
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