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Covenant Bio 346 Chapter 2
Cancer biology
32
Biology
Undergraduate 2
05/07/2012

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Term
density-dependent inhibition of growth
Definition
tendency of cell division to stop when cells growing in culture reach a high population density.
Term
anchorage-independent
Definition
trait exhibited by cancer cells, which grow well not just when they are attached to a solid surface, but also when they are freely suspended in a liquid or semisolid medium.
Term
anoikis
Definition
cell death triggered by lack of contact with the extracellular matrix.
Term
telomere
Definition
end of a linear chromosomal DNA molecule; contains the same short base sequence repeated over and over again.
Term
growth factor
Definition
class of extracellular signaling proteins that stimulate (or in some cases inhibit) the proliferation of particular cell types by binding to specific receptor preteins located on the outer cell surface.
Term
epidermal growth factor (EGF)
Definition
protein that stimulates the growth and division of a wide variety of epithelial cell types.
Term
plasma membrane
Definition
membrane composed of lipids and proteins that defines the outer boundary of the cell and regulates the flow of materials into and out of the cells; aka the cell membrane
Term
S phase
Definition
stage of the cell cycle when the chromosomal DNA is replicated.
Term
M phase
Definition
stage of the cell cycle when the nucleus and the rest of the cell divide.
Term
G0 phase
Definition
G zero phase; offshoot of the G1 phase of the cell cycle in which cells have exited from the cell cycle and are no longer proliferating.
Term
cytokinesis
Definition
division of the cytoplasm during the M phase of the cell cycle.
Term
restriction point
Definition
control point near the end of G1 phase of the cell cycle where the cycle can be halted until conditions are suitable for progression into S phase; regulated to a large extent by the presence or absence of extracellular growth factors.
Term
protein kinase
Definition
any of numerous enzymes that catalyze protein phosphorylation-that is, the addition of phosphate groups to protein molecules.
Term
cyclin
Definition
any of a group of proteins that activate the cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) that are involved in regulating progression through the cell cycle.
Term
Rb protein
Definition
protein whose phosphorylation controls passage through the restiction point of the cell cycle.
Term
DNA replication checkpoint
Definition
mechanism that monitors the state of DNA replication to ensure that DNA synthesis is completed prior to permitting the cell to exit from G2 and begin mitosis.
Term
DNA damage checkpoint
Definition
mechanism that monitors for DNA damage and halts the cell cycle at various points, including late G1, S, and late G2, if damage is detected.
Term
apoptosis
Definition
cell suicide mediated by a group of protein-degrading enzymes called capses; involves a programmed series of events that leads to the dismantling of the internal contents of the cell.
Term
caspase
Definition
any of a family of proteases that degrade other cellular proteins as part of the process of apoptosis.
Term
double helix
Definition
two intertwined helical chains of a DNA molecule, held together by complementary base-pairing between the bases A and T, and between teh bases C and G.
Term
mutagen
Definition
chemical or physical agent that is capable of inducing mutations.
Term
DNA polymerase
Definition
any of a group of enzymes involved in DNA replication and repair that catalyze the addition of successive nucleotides to the 3' end of a growing DNA strand, using an existing DNA strand as a template.
Term
excision repair
Definition
DNA repair mechanism that removes and replaces abnormal nucleotides.
Term
nonhomologous end-joining
Definition
mechanism for repairing double-strand DNA breaks that uses proteins that bind to the ends of the two broken DNA fragments and join them together.
Term
genetic instability
Definition
trait of cancer cells in which abnormally high mutation rates are caused by defects in DNA repair or chromosome sorting mechanisms.
Term
aneuploid
Definition
containing an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Term
transfection
Definition
transfer of foreign DNA into cells under artificial conditions.
Term
antigen-presenting cell
Definition
cell that degrades and processes antigens and displays the resulting antigen fragments on its surface to activate an immune response by lymphocytes.
Term
lymphocyte
Definition
class of white blood cells involved in immune responses; B lymphocytes produce antibodies, whereas cytotoxic T lymphocytes kill targeted cells directly.
Term
antibody
Definition
class of proteins produced by B lymphocytes that bind with extraordinary specificity to substances, referred to as atigens, that provoke an immune response.
Term
immune surveillance theory
Definition
theory postulating that immune rejection of cancer cells helps protect people against the development of cancer.
Term
gap junction
Definition
structure involved in cell-cell communi that joins cells together in a way that allows small molecules to pass directly from one cell to another; constructed from a protein called connexin.
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