Term
| density-dependent inhibition of growth |
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Definition
| tendency of cell division to stop when cells growing in culture reach a high population density. |
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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. |
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Definition
| cell death triggered by lack of contact with the extracellular matrix. |
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Term
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Definition
| end of a linear chromosomal DNA molecule; contains the same short base sequence repeated over and over again. |
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Term
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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. |
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Term
| epidermal growth factor (EGF) |
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Definition
| protein that stimulates the growth and division of a wide variety of epithelial cell types. |
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Term
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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 |
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Definition
| stage of the cell cycle when the chromosomal DNA is replicated. |
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Term
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Definition
| stage of the cell cycle when the nucleus and the rest of the cell divide. |
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Term
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| division of the cytoplasm during the M phase of the cell cycle. |
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Term
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| any of numerous enzymes that catalyze protein phosphorylation-that is, the addition of phosphate groups to protein molecules. |
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Definition
| any of a group of proteins that activate the cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) that are involved in regulating progression through the cell cycle. |
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Definition
| protein whose phosphorylation controls passage through the restiction point of the cell cycle. |
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Term
| DNA replication checkpoint |
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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. |
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Term
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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. |
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| any of a family of proteases that degrade other cellular proteins as part of the process of apoptosis. |
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Term
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| chemical or physical agent that is capable of inducing mutations. |
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Term
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| DNA repair mechanism that removes and replaces abnormal nucleotides. |
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Term
| nonhomologous end-joining |
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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. |
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Term
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Definition
| trait of cancer cells in which abnormally high mutation rates are caused by defects in DNA repair or chromosome sorting mechanisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| containing an abnormal number of chromosomes. |
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Term
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Definition
| transfer of foreign DNA into cells under artificial conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| cell that degrades and processes antigens and displays the resulting antigen fragments on its surface to activate an immune response by lymphocytes. |
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Term
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Definition
| class of white blood cells involved in immune responses; B lymphocytes produce antibodies, whereas cytotoxic T lymphocytes kill targeted cells directly. |
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Term
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Definition
| class of proteins produced by B lymphocytes that bind with extraordinary specificity to substances, referred to as atigens, that provoke an immune response. |
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Term
| immune surveillance theory |
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Definition
| theory postulating that immune rejection of cancer cells helps protect people against the development of cancer. |
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Term
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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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